Revisiting Psalm 91 in Light of Rainer Albertz’s Model of Internal Religious Pluralism

Abstract Given its similarities to incantation texts found in the larger ancient Near Eastern world, Ps 91 remains sui generis in the Psalter. Despite its seeming uniqueness, the psalm likely enjoyed considerable usage in an array of contexts. To better ascertain this psalm’s usage across different contexts, I employ Rainer Albertz’s model of internal religious pluralism for my analysis. After a review of Albertz’s model, I consider the presence of incantation texts within the domestic sphere in the Levant with particular attention to the Arslan Tash and Ketef Hinnom amulets. I identify incantation elements in Ps 91 and explore the role of Ps 91 in the official cultic religion of ancient Israel. I examine the evidence in the MT Psalter, with particular attention to the psalm’s Sitz im Literatur. In the final portion of the paper, I treat 11QApocryphal Psalmsa (11Q11) and the role of Ps 91 in the Dead Sea collection as an example of the psalm’s use in communal religion.