“He who dwells in the shelter …”

“He who dwells in the shelter …” is a fragment from Psalm 91:1 that becomes a shared hymn in a funeral procession. Its significance lies not only in its scriptural source but in the moment of its use: Dominikowa begins the words amid collective mourning, and the assembled mourners take them up as they approach the graveyard.

Scriptural Source and Form

The accompanying note identifies the expression as Psalm 91:1. The text gives only the opening fragment, not the rest of the verse, so the hymn’s presence is marked by an incomplete quotation rather than a fully reproduced psalm. That fragment serves as a recognizable devotional utterance within the scene.

The Funeral Procession

After the priests finish singing, the hunched, half-blind Dominikowa, holding on to Jagna, begins the hymn. The action places the words in the midst of physical vulnerability and grief: Dominikowa leans on another person as she sings, while the procession continues toward the burial ground.

Communal Response and Significance

The mourners join eagerly and fervently, as though clinging to the hymn with their frightened souls. Their singing renews their confidence as they enter the graveyard. The expression thus shifts from one person’s invocation to a communal act: amid sorrow and the approach of death, a fragment of scripture gives the mourners words to share and a form of spiritual reassurance.