Bible Strands
Psalms 91:12
They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses the psalmist, extending the angelic guardianship declared in verse 11. The statement functions as a concrete promise within a broader poetic assurance of deliverance.
The words — כַּפַּיִם (ka.Pa.yim) means “hands,” and פֶּן (pen-) translates as “lest” or “so that not.” These terms specify the physical means of support and the precise boundary of the protection.
The thread — The phrase appears verbatim in Luke 4:11 during the temptation narrative, while Psalms 37:24 and Proverbs 3:23 echo the prevented-stumbling motif. Each citation anchors the imagery in divine intervention rather than human effort.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge active, external protection rather than self-reliance. It demands acceptance of angelic ministry as the mechanism that prevents ordinary harm.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Cross-references
- Psalms 37:24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.
- Proverbs 3:23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
- Luke 4:11 and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
- Isaiah 63:9 In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
- Matthew 4:6 “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
- Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth.
- Job 5:23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.