You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
- KJV Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
- BSB You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
- NASB You will walk upon the lion and cobra, You will trample the young lion and the serpent.
- NLT You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
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
The one who trusts God will overcome even the deadliest dangers, pictured as lions and serpents.
Overview
Lions and cobras symbolize fierce, lethal threats that the protected believer will tread underfoot. The imagery promises triumph over deadly evil through God's power. It anticipates the crushing of the serpent (Gen. 3:15) and Christ's victory, who gives His people authority over the enemy (Luke 10:19; Rom. 16:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Luke 10:19Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you.
- Dan 6:22My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, I have done no hurt.
- Mark 16:18they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
- 1 Sam 17:37David said, “Yahweh who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go! Yahweh will be with you.”
- Rom 16:20And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- Judg 14:5–6Then went Samson down with his father and his mother to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion roared against him.
- 2 Tim 4:17But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
- Acts 28:3–6But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
- Isa 27:1In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
- Rev 20:1–2I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
- Ps 58:4Their poison is like the poison of a snake; like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
- Job 5:23For you shall be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field shall be at peace with you.
- Rev 12:9The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- Rom 3:13“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips”;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 91:13 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.