Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Psalms 33:17

Horses don't really bring victory in war. Their strength cannot help you escape.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Confidence;   False Confidence;   Horse;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Horses;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Horse, the;   Protection;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Psalms, the Book of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Humility;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Horse;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hymn;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Ethics;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Horse;   Psalms;   Sin;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Horse;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Horse;   Omniscience;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Horse;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for July 27;   Every Day Light - Devotion for March 22;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The horse is a false hope for safety;it provides no escape by its great power.
Hebrew Names Version
A horse is a vain thing for safety, Neither does he deliver any by his great power.
King James Version
An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
English Standard Version
The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.
New Century Version
Horses can't bring victory; they can't save by their strength.
New English Translation
A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.
Amplified Bible
A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
New American Standard Bible
A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it rescue anyone by its great strength.
World English Bible
A horse is a vain thing for safety, Neither does he deliver any by his great power.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A horse is a vaine helpe, and shall not deliuer any by his great strength.
Legacy Standard Bible
A horse is a false hope for salvation;Nor does it provide escape to anyone by its great strength.
Berean Standard Bible
A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.
Contemporary English Version
In war the strength of a horse cannot be trusted to take you to safety.
Complete Jewish Bible
To rely on a horse for safety is vain, nor does its great power assure escape.
Darby Translation
The horse is a vain thing for safety; neither doth he deliver by his great power.
George Lamsa Translation
A horse is a false thing for salvation; neither shall he deliver his rider by his great strength.
Good News Translation
War horses are useless for victory; their great strength cannot save.
Lexham English Bible
The horse is a false hope for victory, nor can it save by the greatness of its power.
Literal Translation
A horse is a vain thing for safety; nor does he save by his great strength.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A horse is but a vayne thynge to saue a man, it is not the power of his stregth that can delyuer him.
American Standard Version
A horse is a vain thing for safety; Neither doth he deliver any by his great power.
Bible in Basic English
A horse is a false hope; his great power will not make any man free from danger.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A horse is a vain thing for safety; neither doth it afford escape by its great strength.
King James Version (1611)
An horse is a vaine thing for safetie: neither shall he deliuer any by his great strength.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A horse for to saue is vanitie: and he can deliuer none by his great strength.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
A horse is vain for safety; neither shall he be delivered by the greatness of his power.
English Revised Version
An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great power.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
An hors is false to helthe; forsothe he schal not be sauyd in the habundaunce, `ether plentee, of his vertu.
Update Bible Version
A horse is a vain thing for safety; Neither does he deliver any by his great power.
Webster's Bible Translation
A horse [is] a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver [any] by his great strength.
New King James Version
A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
New Living Translation
Don't count on your warhorse to give you victory— for all its strength, it cannot save you.
New Life Bible
A horse cannot be trusted to win a battle. Its great strength cannot save anyone.
New Revised Standard
The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A deception, is the horse, for victory, and, by his great strength, shall he not deliver.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(32-17) Vain is the horse for safety: neither shall he be saved by the abundance of his strength.
Revised Standard Version
The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
Young's Literal Translation
A false thing [is] the horse for safety, And by the abundance of his strength He doth not deliver.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

Contextual Overview

12 Great blessings belong to those who have the Lord as their God! He chose them to be his own special people. 13 The Lord looked down from heaven and saw all the people. 14 From his high throne he looked down at all the people living on earth. 15 He created every person's mind, and he knows what each one is doing. 16 A king is not saved by the power of his army. A soldier does not survive by his own great strength. 17 Horses don't really bring victory in war. Their strength cannot help you escape. 18 The Lord watches over his followers, those who wait for him to show his faithful love. 19 He saves them from death. He gives them strength when they are hungry. 20 So we will wait for the Lord . He helps us and protects us. 21 He makes us happy. We trust his holy name.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

An horse: Psalms 20:7, Judges 4:15, 2 Kings 7:6, 2 Kings 7:7, Proverbs 21:31, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Isaiah 30:16, Hosea 14:3

his great: Psalms 147:10, Job 39:19-25

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 20:1 - horses Judges 1:10 - Sheshai Judges 5:22 - horsehoofs 1 Samuel 2:9 - by strength 1 Samuel 17:47 - saveth not 2 Samuel 8:4 - chariots 1 Chronicles 18:4 - David Job 36:19 - nor all Job 39:11 - trust Psalms 44:6 - General Isaiah 31:1 - stay on horses Isaiah 31:3 - their horses Jeremiah 9:23 - neither Jeremiah 46:6 - not Daniel 11:11 - the multitude Amos 2:15 - neither Micah 5:10 - that I Nahum 3:10 - she carried

Cross-References

Exodus 12:37
The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, not counting the small boys.
Exodus 13:20
The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham. Etham was near the desert.
Joshua 13:27
the valley of Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon, including the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon, along the Jordan all the way up to Lake Galilee on the eastern side of the river.
Judges 8:5
Gideon said to the men of the city of Succoth, "Give my soldiers something to eat. They are very tired. We are still chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian."
Judges 8:8
Gideon left the city of Succoth and went to the city of Penuel. He asked the men of Penuel for food, just as he had asked the men of Succoth. But the men of Penuel gave Gideon the same answer that the men of Succoth had given.
Judges 8:14
Gideon captured a young man from the city of Succoth. He asked the young man some questions. The young man wrote down some names for Gideon. The young man wrote down the names of the leaders and elders of the city of Succoth. He gave Gideon the names of 77 men.
Judges 8:16
Gideon took the elders of the city of Succoth and beat them with thorns and briers from the desert.
1 Kings 7:46
Solomon never weighed the bronze that was used to make these things. There was too much to weigh. So the total weight of all the bronze was never known. The king ordered these things to be made near the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. They made them by melting the bronze and pouring it into molds in the ground.
Psalms 60:6
God has spoken in his Temple: "I will win the war and rejoice in victory! I will divide this land among my people. I will give them Shechem. I will give them Succoth Valley.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A horse [is] a vain thing for safety,.... Though it is prepared for the day of battle, and is a very warlike creature, and of great service in war, yet safety only is of the Lord, Proverbs 21:31; this is put for all kinds of military preparations which men are apt to trust in, but should not, for they are "a lie" i, as the horse is here said to be; that is, deceives and disappoints when trusted to; in like manner the olive is said "to lie", Habakkuk 3:17; when hope of fruit from it is disappointed; so "fundus mendax" in Horace k;

neither shall he deliver [any] by his great strength; in the time of battle; either by fighting for him, or fleeing with him.

i שקר "mendacium", Pagninus, Montanus; "fallax", V. L. k Epod. l. 1. Ode 16. ver. 45. Carmin. l. 3. Ode 1. v. 30. "Spem mentita seges", ib. Epist. l. 1. ep. 7. v. 87.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

An horse - The reference here is undoubtedly to the war-horse. See the notes at Psalms 20:7.

Is a vain thing - literally, is a “lie.” That is, he cannot be confided in.

For safety - For securing safety in battle. He is liable to be stricken down, or to become wild and furious so as to be beyond the control of his rider; and however strong or fleet he may be, or however well he may be “broken,” yet none of these things make it certain that the rider will be safe. God is the only being in whom perfect confidence can be reposed.

Neither shall he deliver any by his great strength - Safety cannot be found in his mere “strength,” however great that may be. These illustrations are all designed to lead the mind to the great idea that safety is to be found in God alone, Psalms 33:18-19.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 33:17. A horse is a vain thing for safety — Even the horse, with all his fleetness, is no sure means of escape from danger: the lion or the tiger can overtake him or he may stumble, fall, and destroy his rider.


 
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