“Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 91:13 Mean?
Psalm 91 promises divine protection in vivid imagery: the believer will tread upon lions and adders, trampling young lions and dragons (serpents). The verse pairs two types of threat: the visible, aggressive predator (lion) and the hidden, venomous danger (adder/serpent). Both are defeated underfoot.
The word "tread" (darak) means to walk upon, to step on — it's the confident stride of someone whose path takes them over dangerous ground without injury. "Trample" (ramas) is more forceful — to stomp, to crush. The progression from treading to trampling suggests increasing authority: you don't just survive the danger; you dominate it.
Jesus references this imagery in Luke 10:19: "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." The Psalm's promise of physical protection becomes, in Christ's hands, a declaration of spiritual authority over evil itself.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'lions' (visible threats) and 'serpents' (hidden dangers) are you currently facing?
- 2.What does it mean to have authority over threats rather than immunity from them?
- 3.How does Jesus' application of this verse change your understanding of spiritual authority?
- 4.What would it look like to walk with the confidence of someone who treads on lions?
Devotional
Lions and serpents. The threats you can see coming and the threats you can't. The one that roars and charges and the one that hides in the grass and strikes without warning. Both are under your feet.
Psalm 91 doesn't promise a threat-free life. It promises authority over threats. The lions don't disappear. The serpents don't relocate. You walk over them. You tread on what would otherwise devour you. You trample what would otherwise poison you.
The pairing of lion and serpent covers every kind of danger: aggressive and subtle, loud and silent, direct and sneaky. Whatever form the threat takes — whether it roars at you or slithers toward you — the promise is the same: under your feet.
Jesus took this verse and applied it to His disciples' spiritual authority. The serpents and lions become metaphors for every power of the enemy — not just physical danger but spiritual opposition, demonic attack, systemic evil. The authority that Psalm 91 describes physically, Jesus grants spiritually: nothing shall by any means hurt you.
This isn't a guarantee of a painless life — it's a declaration of an empowered one. You will face lions. You will encounter serpents. But you won't be consumed or poisoned. You'll walk over them. Because the authority beneath your feet comes from the God above your head.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder,.... Or be unhurt by such savage and poisonous creatures; as the Israelites,…
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder - Thou shalt be safe among dangers, as if the rage of the lion were restrained,…
Here are more promises to the same purport with those in the foregoing verses, and they are exceedingly great and…
Thou shalt triumphantly overcome all obstacles and dangers, whether of fierce and open violence, or of secret and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture