Psalm 91:5

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You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Psalm 91:5 (NKJV)

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

Psalm 91:5 (NIV)

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Psalm 91:5 (KJV)

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

Psalm 91:5 (NLT)

You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

Psalm 91:5 (ESV)

You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day;

Psalm 91:5 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

You will not be afraid of the terror of night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Psalm 91:5 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

Psalm 91:5 (AMPC)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

You'll never stumble, never a sleepless night — you don't fear the monsters of the night, you're not haunted by the terrors of the day.

Psalm 91:5 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

Fear Is the Target, Not Just the Threat

Psalm 91:5 does not say the terror by night will not exist or that arrows will not fly. It says you will not be afraid. The promise is not the elimination of the threatening world but the elimination of fear in the face of it. This is a significant distinction. God is not promising a threat-free environment. He is promising a fear-free heart within a threatening environment. This is the same promise Jesus gave in John 16:33: "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The circumstances do not change. The position of the person in those circumstances changes.

24-Hour Coverage: Night and Day

Psalm 91:5-6 deliberately covers all four quarters of the day: the terror by night (v. 5a), the arrow by day (v. 5b), the pestilence in darkness (v. 6a), and the destruction at noonday (v. 6b). Ancient writers understood the day as divided into these segments, and the psalm explicitly fills all four. This is the psalmist's way of saying there is no time of day in which the protection lifts. You are not covered from 9 to 5 and exposed at midnight. The shadow of the Almighty is cast continuously. There is no gap in the coverage.

The "terror by night" (pachad lailah) in ancient understanding often referred specifically to the fear of demonic or spiritual attack during sleep, when defenses seem lowered and the imagination runs unguarded. Psalm 91:5 addresses that fear directly and removes it. For the New Covenant believer, 2 Timothy 1:7 makes the same declaration: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Fear is not from God. The protection of Psalm 91:5 is not just physical but includes mental and spiritual peace through the night hours.

Application for Your Life

Psalm 91:5 Is a Prescription for Nighttime Anxiety

Many believers experience their worst anxiety at night: the quiet amplifies the fears, the darkness makes threats feel larger, and sleep will not come. Psalm 91:5 was written for exactly that condition. The terror by night is a real category. And God speaks to it directly: you will not be afraid. Meditating on and declaring Psalm 91 before sleep is not superstition. It is placing your mind and heart under the covering that was promised to those who dwell in the secret place. Fear and faith cannot occupy the same space. Fill the space with faith.

The Arrow by Day: Sudden Unexpected Attacks

The arrow that flies by day represents sudden, unexpected attack, the bad news that arrives without warning, the accusation from nowhere, the crisis that erupts in a normal moment. Psalm 91:5 says that category of threat is also covered. You do not need to live in constant vigilance, scanning the horizon for incoming arrows. The God who covers you by night also covers you at noon. Proverbs 3:25-26 says it this way: "Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes. For the LORD will be your confidence."

Prayer Based on This Verse

Lord, I declare that I am not afraid of the terror by night. I lie down and I sleep, and You sustain me. No nightmare, no anxiety, no dark thought has authority over me in the night hours. And by day, no arrow flies that reaches me from outside Your awareness. You cover day and night without interruption. I receive that coverage now. I receive a sound mind and a peaceful heart. Fear has no right to live in me. You have not given me a spirit of fear. I rest in Your protection. In Jesus name. Amen.