Overview
The Bible addresses protection across 128 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Psalms, Isaiah and Deuteronomy. Closely related themes include Afflictions and Adversities, Psalms, Faith and Armies. Figures whose stories touch this theme include David, Moses, Peter and Abraham.
Key Bible verses about protection
Old Testament
Genesis
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. grow: Heb. as fishes do increase
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Leviticus
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. over: Heb. upon
And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
Numbers
And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
Deuteronomy
When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; faint: Heb. be tender tremble: Heb. make haste
For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,
Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. your: Heb. an hiding for you
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Joshua
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. met: Heb. assembled by appointment
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.
So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.
And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining. great Zidon: or, Zidonrabbah Misrephothmaim: or, Salt pits: Heb. Burnings of waters
Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Judges
1 Samuel
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
2 Chronicles
And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. man: or, mortal man
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. to shew: or, strongly to hold with them, etc
Job
Psalms
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. defendest: Heb. coverest over, or, protectest them
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. a refuge: Heb. an high place
Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. slip: Heb. be not moved
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. my strength: Heb. my rock
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. for: or, of
God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Altaschith: or, Destroy not
But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. defence: Heb. high place
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. the LORD: or, our shield is of the LORD, and our king is of the Holy One of Israel
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. for: or, of Solomon that: Heb. that are builders of it in it
The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. help: or, salvation
Proverbs
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. safe: Heb. set aloft
The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. safety: or, victory
Isaiah
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. If: or, Do ye not believe? it is because ye are not stable
Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. concerning: or, to her
As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. great: Heb. heavy
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. lift: or, put him to flight
Daniel
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
New Testament
Luke
John
Acts
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Easter: Gr. Passover quaternions: a file of four soldiers
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. prayer: or, instant and earnest prayer was made
And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
People in the Bible and protection
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying protection for yourself
- Begin with Genesis 15:1, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Psalms, Isaiah and Deuteronomy each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of David, Moses and Peter and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Afflictions and Adversities, Psalms, Faith and Armies.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about protection?
The Bible addresses protection across 128 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Psalms, Isaiah and Deuteronomy. Closely related themes include Afflictions and Adversities, Psalms, Faith and Armies. Figures whose stories touch this theme include David, Moses, Peter and Abraham.
How many Bible verses are about protection?
The Bible references protection in 128 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention protection?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Genesis 15:1: “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
Which people in the Bible are associated with protection?
David, Moses, Peter, Abraham and Joshua.
Preach & teach
Outline a sermon or build a study series on protection.
Preach a series on Protection →