Psalm 91: Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi

Channel    / @chantandpoetry   Playlist    • St. Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter      • Psalm 91: Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi  

Psalm 91 chanted in the Sarum Use by Sarah James

Themes: The safety of the godly man, and his confidence, how he is defended and preserved, the angels of God are his servants, and he shall tread on the necks of his adversaries; what God says of, and promises to, such a person. This psalm has no title in the Hebrew; nor can it be determined on what occasion or by whom it was composed. It is most likely by the author of the preceding psalm; and is written as a part of it by fifteen of Kennicott's and De Rossi's manuscripts, commencing before the repetition of the four last words of the ninetieth psalm. It is allowed to be one of the finest psalms in the whole collection. Of it Simon de Muis has said: "It is one of the most excellent works of this kind which has ever appeared. It is impossible to imagine anything more solid, more beautiful, more profound, or more ornamented. Could the Latin or any modern languages express thoroughly all the beauties and elegancies as well of the words as of the sentences, it would not be difficult to persuade the reader that we have no poem, either in Greek or Latin, comparable to this Hebrew ode." (From the Adam Clarke Commentary, 1831)

In Judaism: Psalm 91 is prominent in Jewish liturgy and ritual. It is recited during the Pesukei Dezimra (Morning Prayers) in the Shabbat, Yom Tov ( religious, cultural and national holidays) and Hoshana Rabbah (seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles). It is also recited after the evening prayer on Motza'ei Shabbat (the evening immediately following Shabbat, that is Saturday night) and during the nightly Bedtime Shema (prayer). In each of these prayers, verse 16 is said twice. According to Machzor Vitry, the verse is doubled to complete the spelling of a name of God. Psalm 91 is recited seven times during a burial ceremony. As the casket bearers approach the grave, they stop every few feet, repeating the psalm. In the case of the burial of a woman, the casket bearers do not stop the procession, but they do repeat the psalm seven times. Verse 11 is recited after the liturgical poem Shalom Aleichem at the Friday night meal. Shalom Aleichem is sung upon returning home from synagogue prayer, and signals the arrival of the Jewish Sabbath, welcoming the angels who accompany a person home on the eve of the Sabbath. The custom of singing Shalom Aleichem on Friday night before Eshes Chayil and Kiddush is now nearly universal among religious Jews. Psalm 91 is often recited as a prayer for protection, with some saying it before embarking on a journey. (Wikipedia)

In Christianity: Verses 11 and 12 are quoted by the devil during the temptation of Christ in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10–11. Jesus quoted verse 13 in Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” In the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 91 is part of Compline (Evening Prayer) on Sunday and Solemnities. In the Revised Common Lectionary (Year C), Psalm 91 is appointed for the first Sunday in Lent, linking it to the temptation of Christ, where the devil quotes this psalm. In the medieval Western Church it was included in the readings for Good Friday. In Eastern Orthodoxy it is used in the prayers of the Sixth Hour, at Great Compline, and also in the Memorial Service for the departed. (Wikipedia)

Nine hundred years ago, the Cathedral of Salisbury, England developed a unique form of chant and liturgy known as the “Use of Salisbury,” or “Sarum Use.” Differences from the Roman rite are both melodic (more florid in the Sarum) and textual (Elizabethan English rather than Latin). The best repository of Sarum Use tones is the St. Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter, from which Sarah has sung this psalm. Additional resources on Sarum Use plainsong at https://canticasacra.org.

“Grand Canyon view,” an unchanged 2015 photo by PiConsti is made available at Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/....

#psalm91 #plainsong #psalms #psalter #gregorianchant #saintdunstan #bible