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Commentary on Psalms 91 verses 9–16
Here are more promises to the same purport with those in the foregoing verses, and they are exceedingly great and precious, and sure to all the seed.
I. The psalmist assures believers of divine protection, from his own experience; and that which he says is the word of God, and what we may rely upon. Observe, 1. The character of those who shall have the benefit and comfort of these promises; it is much the same with that, Psa 91:1. They are such as make the Most High their habitation (Psa 91:9), as are continually with God and rest in him, as make his name both their temple and their strong tower, as dwell in love and so dwell in God. It is our duty to be at home in God, to make our choice of him, and then to live our life in him as our habitation, to converse with him, and delight in him, and depend upon him; and then it shall be our privilege to be at home in God; we shall be welcome to him as a man to his own habitation, without any let, hindrance, or molestation, from the arrests of the law or the clamours of conscience; then too we shall be safe in him, shall be kept in perfect peace, Isa 26:3. To encourage us to make the Lord our habitation, and to hope for safety and satisfaction in him, the psalmist intimates the comfort he had had in doing so: "He whom thou makest thy habitation is my refuge; and I have found him firm and faithful, and in him there is room enough, and shelter enough, both for thee and me." In my father's house there are many mansions, one needs not crowd another, much less crowd out another. 2. The promises that are sure to all those who have thus made the Most High their habitation. (1.) That, whatever happens to them, nothing shall hurt them (Psa 91:10): "There shall no evil befal thee; though trouble or affliction befal thee, yet there shall be no real evil in it, for it shall come from the love of God and shall be sanctified; it shall come, not for thy hurt, but for thy good; and though, for the present, it be not joyous but grievous, yet, in the end, it shall yield so well that thou thyself shalt own no evil befel thee. It is not an evil, an only evil, but there is a mixture of good in it and a product of good by it. Nay, not thy person only, but thy dwelling, shall be taken under the divine protection: There shall no plague come nigh that, nothing to do thee or thine any damage." Nihil accidere bono viro mali potest - No evil can befal a good man. Seneca De Providentia. (2.) That the angels of light shall be serviceable to them, Psa 91:11, Psa 91:12. This is a precious promise, and speaks a great deal both of honour and comfort to the saints, nor is it ever the worse for being quoted and abused by the devil in tempting Christ, Mat 4:6. Observe, [1.] The charge given to the angels concerning the saints. He who is the Lord of the angels, who gave them their being and gives laws to them, whose they are and whom they were made to serve, he shall give his angels a charge over thee, not only over the church in general, but over every particular believer. The angels keep the charge of the Lord their God; and this is the charge they receive from him. It denotes the great care God takes of the saints, in that the angels themselves shall be charged with them, and employed for them. The charge is to keep thee in all thy ways; here is a limitation of the promise: They shall keep thee in thy ways, that is, "as long as thou keepest in the way of thy duty;" those that go out of that way put themselves out of God's protection. This word the devil left out when he quoted the promise to enforce a temptation, knowing how much it made against him. But observe the extent of the promise; it is to keep thee in all thy ways: even where there is no apparent danger yet we need it, and where there is the most imminent danger we shall have it. Wherever the saints go the angels are charged with them, as the servants are with the children. [2.] The care which the angels take of the saints, pursuant to this charge: They shall bear thee up in their hands, which denotes both their great ability and their great affection. They are able to bear up the saints out of the reach of danger, and they do it with all the tenderness and affection wherewith the nurse carries the little child about in her arms; it speaks us helpless and them helpful. They are condescending in their ministrations; they keep the feet of the saints, lest they dash them against a stone, lest they stumble and fall into sin and into trouble. [3.] That the powers of darkness shall be triumphed over by them (Psa 91:13): Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. 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 16:20), The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet. Christ has broken the serpent's head, spoiled our spiritual enemies (Col 2:15), and through him we are more than conquerors; for Christ calls us, as Joshua called the captains of Israel, to come and set our feet on the necks of vanquished enemies. Some think that this promise had its full accomplishment in Christ, and the miraculous power which he had over the whole creation, healing the sick, casting out devils, and particularly putting it into his disciples' commission that they should take up serpents, Mar 16:18. It may be applied to that care of the divine Providence by which we are preserved from ravenous noxious creatures (the wild beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, Job 5:23); nay, and have ways and means of taming them, Jam 3:7.
II. He brings in God himself speaking words of comfort to the saints, and declaring the mercy he had in store for them, Psa 91:14-16. Some make this to be spoken to the angels as the reason of the charge given them concerning the saints, as if he had said, "Take care of them, for they are dear to me, and I have a tender concern for them." And now, as before, we must observe,
1.To whom these promises do belong; they are described by three characters: - (1.) They are such as know God's name. His nature we cannot fully know; but by his name he has made himself known, and with that we must acquaint ourselves. (2.) They are such as have set their love upon him; and those who rightly know him will love him, will place their love upon him as the only adequate object of it, will let out their love towards him with pleasure and enlargement, and will fix their love upon him with a resolution never to remove it to any rival. (3.) They are such as call upon him, as by prayer keep up a constant correspondence with him, and in every difficult case refer themselves to him.
2.What the promises are which God makes to the saints. (1.) That he will, in due time, deliver them out of trouble: I will deliver him (Psa 91:14 and again Psa 91:15), denoting a double deliverance, living and dying, a deliverance in trouble and a deliverance out of trouble. If God proportions the degree and continuance of our troubles to our strength, if he keeps us from offending him in our troubles, and makes our death our discharge, at length, from all our troubles, then this promise is fulfilled. See Psa 34:19; Ti2 3:11; Ti2 4:18. (2.) That he will, in the mean time, be with them in trouble, Psa 91:15. If he does not immediately put a period to their afflictions, yet they shall have his gracious presence with them in their troubles; he will take notice of their sorrows, and know their souls in adversity, will visit them graciously by his word and Spirit, and converse with them, will take their part, will support and comfort them, and sanctify their afflictions to them, which will be the surest token of his presence with them in their troubles. (3.) That herein he will answer their prayers: He shall call upon me; I will pour upon him the spirit of prayer, and then I will answer, answer by promises (Psa 85:8), answer by providences, bringing in seasonable relief, and answer by graces, strengthening them with strength in their souls (Psa 138:3); thus he answered Paul with grace sufficient, Co2 12:9. (4.) That he will exalt and dignify them: I will set him on high, out of the reach of trouble, above the stormy region, on a rock above the waves, Isa 33:16. They shall be enabled, by the grace of God, to look down upon the things of this world with a holy contempt and indifference, to look up to the things of the other world with a holy ambition and concern; and then they are set on high. I will honour him; those are truly honourable whom God puts honour upon by taking them into covenant and communion with himself and designing them for his kingdom and glory, Joh 12:26. (5.) That they shall have a sufficiency of life in this world (Psa 91:16): With length of days will I satisfy him; that is, [1.] They shall live long enough: they shall be continued in this world till they have done the work they were sent into this world for and are ready for heaven, and that is long enough. Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him? [2.] They shall think it long enough; for God by his grace shall wean them from the world and make them willing to leave it. A man may die young, and yet die full of days, satur dierum - satisfied with living. A wicked worldly man is not satisfied, no, not with long life; he still cries, Give, give. But he that has his treasure and heart in another world has soon enough of this; he would not live always. (6.) That they shall have an eternal life in the other world. This crowns the blessedness: I will show him my salvation, show him the Messiah (so some); good old Simeon was then satisfied with long life when he could say, My eyes have seen thy salvation, nor was there any greater joy to the Old Testament saints than to see Christ's day, though at a distance. It is more probably that the word refers to the better country, that is, the heavenly, which the patriarchs desired and sought: he will show him that, bring him to that blessed state, the felicity of which consists so much in seeing that face to face which we here see through a glass darkly; and, in the mean time, he will give him a prospect of it. All these promises, some think, point primarily at Christ, and had their accomplishment in his resurrection and exaltation.
In various ways has the devil rivaled and resisted the truth. Sometimes Praxeas’s aim has been to destroy the truth by defending it. He maintains that there is only one Lord, the almighty Creator of the world, in order that out of this doctrine of the unity he may fabricate a heresy. He says that the Father himself came down into the Virgin, was himself born of her, himself suffered, indeed was himself Jesus Christ. Here the old serpent has fallen out with himself, since, when he tempted Christ after John’s baptism, he approached him as “the Son of God.” Surely he was intimating that God had a Son, even on the testimony of the very Scriptures, out of which he was at the moment forging his temptation: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Again, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here; for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning you”—referring no doubt, to the Father—“and in their hands they shall bear you up, so that you do not hurt your foot against a stone.” Or perhaps, after all, he was only reproaching the Gospels with a lie, saying in fact, “Away with Matthew. Away with Luke!”
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.
His next remark was, "Have not these inferior powers been assigned to them by God different departments, according as each was deemed worthy?" But this is a question that requires a very profound knowledge. For we must determine whether the Word of God, who governs all things, has appointed wicked demons for certain duties, in the same way as in states executioners are appointed, and other officers with cruel but necessary 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 human souls. 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 Firstborn 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 does not come, except 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 will by any means hurt you"; and again, "You shall tread on the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon you shall trample under foot." But of these things Celsus knew nothing, or he would not have made use of language like this: "Is not everything that 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 duties of which they were severally deemed worthy? Is it not just, therefore, that he who serves God should serve those also to whom God has assigned such power?" To which he adds, "It is impossible, they say, for a man to serve many masters."
Wild animals are a proof of our faith. Have you trusted in the Lord? “You shall walk on the asp and the basilisk; and you shall trample under foot the lion and the dragon.” You have the power through faith to walk on serpents and scorpions. Or, do you not observe that the viper that fastened onto Paul when he was gathering sticks inflicted no harm because the holy man was found to be full of faith? Yet, if you are incredulous, do not fear the wild beast more than your own lack of faith, through which you have made yourself an easy prey to every form of 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.
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.
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 has not lost his power but is preserving us for repentance. Yet, the longer he awaits your amendment, the harsher will be your punishment if you refuse to amend. God indeed holds the sword, and he wishes to strike sin; we, on the contrary, defend our sins because we love them. Thus, we who should be the accusers of our sins become their defenders. Truly, dearly beloved, God does not want to kill the sinner, but his sin. Like a good doctor he wants to strike the disease, not the person who is ill. But, what is worse, we often despise the doctor and love our sickness: we love our sin and despise God. Sin, indeed, is like this, a dragon, a viper; but concerning the Lord it is written, “You shall walk on the lion and the cobra; and you shall trample under foot the young lion and the serpent.” We, on the other hand, embrace our sins like lions and dragons. But our God, who wants to punish sin and save the sinner, daily exclaims to humanity: Cast off your sin from you, and without you it will die. If you refuse to throw aside your sin, you will perish with it, for sin cannot go unpunished. God wants to kill sin, not to strike the sinner.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 91:13 is a powerful declaration of divine empowerment and triumph for those who abide in the protective shadow of the Most High. It assures the faithful that they will not merely be shielded from formidable dangers but will actively overcome and subjugate them. Symbolized by the "lion," "adder," "young lion," and "dragon," these adversaries represent both overt and insidious forces of evil, physical threats, and spiritual opposition. This verse speaks to a profound spiritual authority granted by God, enabling believers to confidently confront and conquer the most ferocious and treacherous elements that seek to undermine their faith or well-being.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 91:13 is rich in Symbolism, where the "lion," "adder," "young lion," and "dragon" are not merely literal animals but powerful representations of various forms of danger, evil, and spiritual adversaries. This allows the verse to speak to a universal human experience of confronting threats, from physical perils to spiritual warfare against malevolent forces. The verse also employs Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, where the second half of the verse ("the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet") reiterates and intensifies the meaning of the first half ("Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder"). This repetition, using different but related terms for both the adversaries and the actions of overcoming them, emphasizes the certainty and totality of the promised victory. Furthermore, the verse utilizes vivid Imagery, painting a striking picture of the believer actively subduing and dominating powerful, dangerous creatures, which evokes a sense of divine empowerment, fearless triumph, and assured dominion.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 91:13 stands as a profound testament to God's active involvement in the lives of His faithful, not merely as a passive shield but as an empowering force. It reveals a theological truth that the believer, through their covenant relationship with God, is granted a share in divine authority over the forces of darkness and chaos. This promise transcends mere physical safety, delving into the realm of spiritual warfare, where the "lion" and "dragon" represent the very embodiment of evil and opposition to God's kingdom. The verse assures that those who trust in God will not be overwhelmed by such forces but will, by His power, emerge victorious, demonstrating the ultimate sovereignty of God over all creation and all malevolent powers. This theme of divine empowerment for victory over evil is a consistent thread throughout Scripture, culminating in the triumph of Christ and extended to His followers.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
For the contemporary believer, Psalms 91:13 serves as an enduring wellspring of courage and spiritual confidence. It calls us beyond a mindset of mere survival in a dangerous world to one of active, Spirit-empowered victory. This verse reminds us that our battles, whether against temptation, spiritual oppression, the schemes of the enemy, or even the overwhelming challenges of life, are not fought in our own strength. Instead, they are fought from a position of divine authority, secured by our dwelling in God's presence and trusting in His unfailing protection. It encourages us to boldly confront the "lions" (overt attacks, powerful adversaries, or overwhelming circumstances) and "adders" (insidious deceptions, hidden temptations, or subtle spiritual attacks) that seek to harm us, knowing that God has given us the power to tread upon them. This is not a call to recklessness, but to confident faith, recognizing that our victory is a participation in God's ultimate triumph over all evil, enabling us to walk in freedom and spiritual dominion.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What do the animals in Psalms 91:13 symbolize, and how broadly should we interpret them?
Answer: The animals—the lion, adder, young lion, and dragon—are rich in symbolism and should be interpreted broadly. On one level, they represent literal dangers and formidable human adversaries that threaten physical harm or destruction. Historically, lions were a real threat, and venomous serpents were a common peril. On a deeper, spiritual level, they symbolize the forces of evil, spiritual adversaries, and the schemes of the devil. The "lion" can represent overt, powerful, and destructive spiritual attacks, while the "adder" signifies insidious, deceptive, and hidden temptations or spiritual snares. The "dragon" (Hebrew: tannin) is particularly significant, often representing primeval chaos and, in later biblical understanding, Satan himself (as seen in Revelation 12:9). Therefore, the verse promises victory over all forms of evil, from the most apparent and ferocious to the most subtle and spiritually malevolent, affirming God's comprehensive protection and empowerment.
Is the promise in Psalms 91:13 a literal guarantee of physical safety from all harm, or is it primarily spiritual?
Answer: While the psalm certainly speaks to God's protection in the physical realm, the promise in Psalms 91:13 is primarily spiritual in its ultimate fulfillment and deepest meaning. The imagery of treading on dangerous animals is symbolic of victory over spiritual forces. While God can and does protect His people physically, the Bible also acknowledges that believers may face suffering, persecution, and even martyrdom. The ultimate victory promised here is over the power of sin, death, and the devil, which finds its fullest expression in Christ. As seen in Luke 10:19, Jesus grants His disciples "power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy," clearly indicating a spiritual authority. Thus, the verse assures believers of triumph in the spiritual battle, even amidst physical challenges, providing an enduring hope of ultimate vindication and victory through God's power and Christ's finished work.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 91:13 finds its ultimate and most profound Christ-centered fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. He is the one who perfectly "dwelt in the secret place of the Most High" and perfectly trusted His Father, thereby embodying the very conditions for this divine promise. Jesus, through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection, definitively trod upon the "lion" (Satan, who "walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" as described in 1 Peter 5:8) and the "dragon" (the ancient serpent, the Devil, as revealed in Revelation 12:9). His victory on the cross disarmed principalities and powers, triumphing over them (as powerfully declared in Colossians 2:15), and through His death, He destroyed "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). This was the ultimate bruising of the serpent's head prophesied in Genesis 3:15. Believers, united with Christ by faith, participate in His already accomplished victory. The authority to "tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19) is a derivative power, flowing directly from the King who has already conquered all. Thus, Psalms 91:13 is not merely a promise to us, but a promise fulfilled in Christ, enabling us to walk in His triumph and spiritual dominion.