Proverbs 21:31
in Proverbs 21A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The horse is prepared against the day of battle; But victory is of Jehovah.
KJV
The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.
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This verse in Proverbs 21
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe horse is prepared against the day of battle - Horses were not used among the Jews before the time of Solomon. There was a Divine command against them, Deu 17:16; but Solomon transgressed it; see 1Ki 10:29. But he here allows that a horse is a vain thing for safety; and that however strong and well appointed cavalry may be, still safety, escape, and victory, are of the Lord.
This site's exposition
There is no wisdom, no understanding
on Proverbs 21:30-31
The chapter closes on the sovereignty that opened it: "There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD." A horse is prepared for the day of battle, the best weapon, "but victory is of the LORD," the God who decides the outcome.
This site's exposition
victory is of the LORD
Adam Clarke notes that the Law forbade a king to multiply horses in Deuteronomy 17:16, and that Solomon gathered them anyway. Here Solomon owns that a horse prepared for the day of battle still leaves the outcome to the LORD. Victory is of the LORD.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, etc. Indeed, it is man's duty to prepare a soul devoted to God in times of persecution, to offer the body to danger; but it is of divine assistance that to the effort of labor, the …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The horse is prepared against the day of battle,....
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ס֗וּס | sus | a horse | H5483 → | |
| מ֭וּכָן | mukhon | [is] prepared | H3559 → | 217 times |
| לְי֣וֹם | leyom | for a day of | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| מִלְחָמָ֑ה | milchamah | battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| וְ֝לַֽיהוָ֗ה | velayahweh | and [belongs] to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הַתְּשׁוּעָֽה׃ | hateshuah | the victory | H8668 → | 34 times |
ס֗וּסa horse
susH5483 →
מ֭וּכָן[is] prepared
mukhonH3559 →217 times
לְי֣וֹםfor a day of
leyomH3117 →2304 times
מִלְחָמָ֑הbattle
milchamahH4421 →320 times
וְ֝לַֽיהוָ֗הand [belongs] to Yahweh
velayahwehH3068 →6520 times
הַתְּשׁוּעָֽה׃the victory
hateshuahH8668 →34 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
it leads to
- Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 33:16–17
No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
- Isaiah 31:1
Through
Psalms 3:3But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
it leads to
- Psalms 27:6
Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
- Psalms 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
- Genesis 15:1
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
- Psalms 119:114
You are my hiding place and my shield; I put my hope in Your word.
- Isaiah 60:19
No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your…
- Psalms 27:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).