The Hebrew verb sagab (שָׂגַב) means to be high, lofty, inaccessible, or safely set on high. It describes both the literal elevation of fortresses on mountain peaks and the metaphorical exaltation of the righteous through God's protection. The word appears about 20 times, frequently in the Psalms where God is praised as the one who sets his people on high.
Sagab combines the ideas of height, security, and inaccessibility. A place that is sagab cannot be easily attacked — it is protected by its very elevation. When the Psalms declare that God sagab — exalts — the righteous, it means he places them in a position of spiritual security beyond the reach of their enemies. This is not pride but refuge. Psalm 91 describes the one who trusts in God as being lifted up out of danger's reach. The New Testament counterpart is Paul's confidence that nothing can separate believers from God's love (Romans 8:38–39) — they are safely set on high in Christ.