Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder
Or be unhurt by such savage and poisonous creatures; as the
Israelites, when they travelled through the wilderness, in which
were serpents and scorpions; and many of the servants of God have
been delivered from them, or have slain them, as Samson, David,
and Daniel; and so Christ was among the wild beasts in the
wilderness, and yet not touched or hurt by them; and his
disciples had power given them by him to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and to take up serpents, without receiving any damage
from them; and when a viper fastened on the hand of the Apostle
Paul, he shook it off, without being hurt by it; see ( Mark 1:13 ) ( 16:18 ) ( Luke 10:19 ) ( Acts 28:5 ) , it may be
understood figuratively of Satan, who, for his voraciousness and
cruelty, is compared to a lion; and, for his craft and subtlety,
to a serpent, ( 1 Peter 5:8 ) (
Revelation 12:9 ) ,
the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample
underfoot;
which also may be understood of the great dragon, the old
serpent, called the devil and Satan; whom Christ trampled under
his feet when he hung on the cross, and spoiled him and his
principalities and powers; and who, in a short time, will be
bruised under the feet of his people, as he has been already by
the seed of the woman, ( Genesis 3:15
) ( Romans
16:20 ) .