He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
Parallel translations
- WEB He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
- KJV He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
- NKJV He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.
- NASB He makes my feet like deer’s feet, And sets me up on my high places.
- NLT He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God gives David the surefooted agility of a deer and stations him securely on the heights. It pictures the stability and victory that come from the Lord's enabling.
Overview
In David's great song of deliverance (Ps 18 = 2 Sam 22), he credits God with the physical capability to stand firm and move swiftly in battle. 'Deer's feet' suggests both speed and sure footing on dangerous terrain, while 'high places' marks secure dominance over conquered ground. The believer's true stability is likewise a gift of grace, ultimately fulfilled in Christ who shares his victory with his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Hab 3:19GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights! For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
- Deut 32:13He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,
- Deut 33:29Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
- 2 Sam 2:18The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
- 2 Sam 22:14The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 18:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.