Psalms 91:13
in Psalms 91You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot.
KJV
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
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This verse in Psalms 91
Commentary
15 notes on this verseTruly the devil, like a devil, interprets concerning the Savior what is not concerning the Savior. For if the whole psalm is about the Savior, as you interpret it, O devil, then it is about him too what is said: I will protect him, because he has known my name. That is, I the Father will protect my Son. Let me interpret it, devil, as you understand it. Let us see whether the sense holds. I will protect him, because he has known my name: that is, I the Father my Son.
This site's exposition
tread on the lion and cobra
The man treads on a lion and a cobra and tramples a young lion and a serpent. Two of the four are lions and two are serpents, the last of them tannin in Hebrew, a monster of land or sea. Spurgeon read it as authority over the worst a creature brings.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
A commentator
Augustine of HippoTRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10:1.2 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
But what is said to Christ? "And you shall trample down the lion and the serpent." The lion because of his open danger, the serpent because of his concealed deception. The serpent drove Adam out of paradise; the very same one, as a lion, persecuted the church, as Peter says: "Your adversary the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." Let the devil not appear to you to have lost his rage; when he flatters, he must be feared the more.
His next remark was, "Have not these inferior powers had assigned to them by God different departments, according as each was deemed worthy?" But this is a question which requires a very profound knowledge. For we must determine whether the Word of God, who governs all things, has appointed wicked demons for certain employments, in the same way as in states executioners are appointed, and other officers with cruel but needful duties to discharge; or whether as among robbers, who infest desert places, it is customary for them to choose out of their number one who may be their leader,—so the demons, who are scattered as it were in troops in different parts of the earth, have chosen for themselves a chief under whose command they may plunder and pillage the souls of men. To explain this fully, and to justify the conduct of the Christians in refusing homage to any object except the Most High God, and the First-born of all creation, who is His Word and God, we must quote this from Scripture, "All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them;" and again, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy;" and other similar passages, as, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you;" and again, "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." But of these things Celsus knew nothing, or he would not have made use of language like this: "Is not everything which happens in the universe, whether it be the work of God, of angels, of other demons, or of heroes, regulated by the law of the Most High God? Have these not had assigned to them various departments of which they were severally deemed worthy? […]
However, we should not be without anxiety, dearly beloved, because we know that [God] is keeping his patience for such a long time. The fact that such great things happen in the world and he still does not avenge them indicates patience, not carelessness. God …
This power the Creator conferred on his Christ first of all, even as the ninetieth psalm [LXX] says of him: "You shall tread on the lion and the cobra; the young lion and the serpent you shall trample under foot." Isaiah also says, "In that day the Lord God shall draw his sacred, great and strong sword" (even his Christ) "against that dragon, that great and tortuous serpent; and he shall slay him in that day." But when the same prophet says, "The way shall be called a clean and holy way; over it the unclean thing shall not pass, nor shall there be any unclean way; but the dispersed shall pass over it, and they shall not err therein; no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon; it shall not be found there," he points out the way of faith, by which we shall reach God; and then to this way of faith he promises this utter crippling and subjugation of all harmful animals.
The rest of what follows pertains to the same exposition. But that the just and those dear to God have the power to trample upon the ancient and twisted serpent, and to press down his whole army with the heel of the foot, we find most evidently in the Gospel. For thus the Lord says to the apostles: "Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions." Which power we too shall be able to understand as given to us, when we know ourselves to be girded against them by an apostolic way of life. Let us therefore ask the Lord that He who gave power to the just may give also to us, still little ones, the help of righteousness: that we may be imitators of the apostles, and may be aided by their merits, in Christ Jesus our Lord. To whom is glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.
8 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers2 voices
Beasts bear witness to the faith. Hast thou confidence in the Lord? "Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk and thou shalt trample under feet the lion and the dragon." With faith thou hast the power to walk upon serpents and scorpions. Do you not see that the viper which attached itself to the hand of Paul, whilst he gathered sticks, did not injure him, because it found the saint full of faith? If you have not faith, do not fear beasts so much as your faithlessness, which renders you susceptible of all corruption.
"Thou shall go upon the asp and the basilisk; the lion and the dragon shall you tread under your feet" [Psalm 91:13]. You know who the serpent is, and how the Church treads upon him, as she is not conquered, because she is on her guard against his cunning. And after what manner he is a lion and a dragon, I believe you know also, beloved. The lion openly rages, the dragon lies secretly in covert: the devil has each of these forces and powers. When the Martyrs were being slain, it was the raging lion: when heretics are plotting, it is the dragon creeping beneath us. You have conquered the lion; conquer also the dragon: the lion has not crushed you, let not the dragon deceive you....A few women in the Church have bodily virginity: but the virginity of the heart all the faithful have. In the very matter of faith he feared that the heart's virginity would be corrupted by the devil: and those who have lost it, are uselessly virgins in their bodies. What does a woman who is corrupt in heart preserve in her body? Thus a Catholic married woman is before a virgin heretic. For the first is not indeed a virgin in her body, but the second has become married in her heart; and married not unto God as her husband, but unto the dragon. But what shall the Church do? The basilisk is the king of serpents, as the devil is the king of wicked spirits.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The devil is called a roaring lion, the old serpent, the red dragon; so that to this promise the apostle seems to refer in that ( Rom. xvi. 20 ), The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet. Christ has broken the serpent's head, spoiled our spiritual enemies ( Col. ii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. Over force and fraud shalt thou march victoriously; bold opponents and treacherous adversaries shall alike be trodden down. When our shoes are iron and brass lions and adders are easily enough crushed beneath our heel. The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. The strongest foe in power, and the most mysterious in cunning, shall be conquered by the man of God. Not only from stones in the way, but from serpents also, shall we be safe.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. Over force and fraud shalt thou march victoriously; bold opponents and treacherous adversaries shall alike be trodden down. When our shoes are iron and brass lions and adders are easily enough crushed beneath our heel. The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. The strongest foe in power, and the most mysterious in cunning, shall be conquered by the man of God. Not only from stones in the way, but from serpents also, shall we be safe. To men who dwell in God the most evil forces become harmless, they wear a charmed life, and defy the deadliest ills. Their feet come into contact with the worst of foes, even Satan himself nibbles at their heel, but in Christ Jesus they have the assured hope of bruising Satan under their feet shortly. The people of God are the real "George and the dragon, "the true lion kings and serpent tamers. Their dominion over the powers of darkness makes them cry, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy word."
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder - Even the king of the forest shall not be able to injure thee; should one of these attack thee, the angels whom God sends will give thee an easy victory over him. And even the asp, (פתן pethen), one of the most venomous of serpents, shall not be able to injure thee. The asp is a very small serpent, and peculiar to Egypt and Libya. Its poison kills without the possibility of a remedy. Those who are bitten by it die in about from three to eight hours; and it is said they die by sleep, without any kind of pain. Lord Bacon says the asp is less painful than all the other instruments of death. He supposes it to have an affinity to opium, but to be less disagreeable in its operation. It was probably an this account that Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, chose to die by the asp, as she was determined to prevent the designs of Augustus, who intended to have carried her captive to Rome to grace his triumph. The dragon shalt thou trample - The תנין tannin, which we translate dragon, means often any large aquatic animal; and perhaps here the crocodile or alligator.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder - Thou shalt be safe among dangers, as if the rage of the lion were restrained, and he became like a lamb, and as if the poisonous tooth of the serpent were extracted. Compare Mar 16:18. The word used here to denote the “lion” is a poetic term, not employed in prose. The word rendered “adder” is, in the margin, asp. The Hebrew word - פתן pethen - commonly means viper, asp, or adder. See Job 20:14, note; Job 20:16, note; compare Psa 58:4; Isa 11:8. It may be applied to any venomous serpent. The young lion - The “young” lion is mentioned as particularly fierce and violent. See Psa 17:12. And the dragon ... - Hebrew, תנין tannı̂yn. See Psa 74:13, note; Job 7:12, note; Isa 27:1, note. In Exo 7:9-10, Exo 7:12, the word is rendered serpent (and serpents); in Gen 1:21; and Job 7:12; whale (and whales); in Deu 32:33; Neh 2:13; Psa 74:13; Psa 148:7; Isa 27:1; Isa 51:9; Jer 51:34, as here, dragon (and dragons); in Lam 4:3, sea monsters. The word does not occur elsewhere. It would perhaps properly denote a sea monster; yet it may be applied to a serpent. Thus applied, it would denote a serpent of the largest and most dangerous kind; and the idea is, that he who trusted in God would be safe amidst the most fearful dangers, as if he should walk safely amidst venomous serpents.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שַׁ֣חַל | shachal | a lion | H7826 → | |
| וָפֶ֣תֶן | vafeten | and a cobra | H6620 → | |
| תִּדְרֹ֑ךְ | tidrokh | you will tread | H1869 → | 62 times |
| תִּרְמֹ֖ס | tirmos | you will trample | H7429 → | |
| כְּפִ֣יר | kefir | a young lion | H3715 → | 32 times |
| וְתַנִּֽין׃ | vetanin | and a serpent | H8577 → | 28 times |
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
שַׁ֣חַלa lion
shachalH7826 →
וָפֶ֣תֶןand a cobra
vafetenH6620 →
תִּדְרֹ֑ךְyou will tread
tidrokhH1869 →62 times
תִּרְמֹ֖סyou will trample
tirmosH7429 →
כְּפִ֣ירa young lion
kefirH3715 →32 times
וְתַנִּֽין׃and a serpent
vetaninH8577 →28 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 10:19Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
it leads to
- Mark 16:18
they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”
- Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- Acts 28:5
But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
- Revelation 11:5
If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.
- Luke 21:17–18
And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.
- Mark 16:18
Through
Mark 16:18they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”
it leads to
- Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 5:14–15
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
- Luke 10:19
Through
Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
it leads to
- 1 John 3:8
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the…
- 1 John 3:8
Where this verse is studied
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On this verse
About Psalms
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10:1.2; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 91; Basil of Caesarea, HOMILIES ON THE HEXAEMERON 9:6; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 17:4; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jerome, Homily 20, on Psalm 90; Jerome, Homily 68, on Psalm 90 (Alternate Series); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, AGAINST CELSUS 7:70 and Tertullian, AGAINST MARCION 4.24.