Psalm 91 Tattoo

Psalm 91 is the most-tattooed protection passage in the Christian tradition. The Latin Vulgate calls it Qui habitat (after its opening word). The Jewish tradition calls it the ‘Song of Plagues.’ The Catholic tradition recites it nightly in Compline. The verse that has been inked more than any other from this psalm: ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways’ (Ps 91:11).

The full text — three traditions

Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi, in protectione Dei caeli commorabitur. Dicet Domino: Susceptor meus es tu, et refugium meum...Psalm 90 Vulgate (= Ps 91 in Hebrew numbering), the prayer of Compline

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust...Psalm 91, King James Version

The Hebrew opens Yoshev b'seter elyon, b'tzel shaddai yitlonan — ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, in the shadow of Shaddai shall rest.’ The Hebrew tradition recites this psalm in the Birkat Hamapil at bedtime; the Catholic tradition at Compline. Two traditions, the same protective intention across millennia.

The most-tattooed verses

Most Psalm 91 tattoos render one of three verses:

• Verse 1: ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’
• Verse 11: ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.’ (The angel-protection verse — the most-tattooed.)
• Verse 7: ‘A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.’ (The combat verse — popular with military and first-responder readers.)

Design directions

• Full Latin in Cinzel — the medieval scriptural register. Most authoritative.
• English KJV in blackletter — the Protestant tradition’s liturgical type.
• Hebrew in original script — the source-tradition rendering. Best done by a tattooist who reads Hebrew.
• The number 91 alone — minimal. The reader and the bearer know the reference.
• The verse paired with a sword and shield — for the combat-context tattoo. Often paired with Michael imagery.
• The verse paired with two angel wings — referring to verse 4: ‘He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.’

Body placement

• Inner forearm, lengthwise — for the verse-form tattoo. Read top-down by the bearer.
• Across the chest, banner-form — the warrior placement.
• Across the upper back, full passage — for those who want the full psalm or a long extract.
• Around the bicep, as a band — short verse rendered as protection bracelet of ink.

The paired stone

Psalm 91 pairs traditionally with jasper (the Aaronic-breastplate stone of grounding and protection) and sapphire (the stone of bishops, of right judgement under siege).

What to carry with the ink

Psalm 91 Card / Print — recommended companion for the psalm 91 tradition. → Shop on Amazon

Compline Prayer Book — recommended companion for the psalm 91 tradition. → Shop on Amazon

Sapphire Cross Pendant — recommended companion for the psalm 91 tradition. → Shop on Amazon

Related

Paired stones: Jasper Red · Sapphire