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Monday, August 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Wycliffe Bible

Psalms 33:17

An hors is false to helthe; forsothe he schal not be sauyd in the habundaunce, `ether plentee, of his vertu.

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.
Easy-to-Read Version
Horses don't really bring victory in war. Their strength cannot help you escape.
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.
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 Blessid is the folk, whose Lord is his God; the puple which he chees into eritage to hym silf. 13 The Lord bihelde fro heuene; he siy alle the sones of men. 14 Fro his dwellyng place maad redi bifor; he bihelde on alle men, that enhabiten the erthe. 15 Which made syngulerli the soules of hem; which vndurstondith all the werkis of hem. 16 A kyng is not sauyd bi myche vertu; and a giaunt schal not be sauyd in the mychilnesse of his vertu. 17 An hors is false to helthe; forsothe he schal not be sauyd in the habundaunce, `ether plentee, of his vertu. 18 Lo! the iyen of the Lord ben on men dredynge hym; and in hem that hopen on his merci. 19 That he delyuere her soules fro deth; and feede hem in hungur. 20 Oure soule suffreth the Lord; for he is oure helpere and defendere. 21 For oure herte schal be glad in him; and we schulen haue hope in his hooli 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
And the sones of Israel yeden forth fro Ramasses in to Socoth, almest sixe hundrid thousind of foot men, with out litle children and wymmen;
Exodus 13:20
And thei yeden forth fro Socoth, and settiden tentis in Etham, in the laste endis of wildirnesse.
Joshua 13:27
and in the valei he yaf Betharan, and Bethneuar, and Socoth, and Saphan, the tother part of the rewme of Seon, kyng of Esebon; and the ende of this is Jordan, `til to the laste part of the see of Cenereth ouer Jordan, at the eest coost.
Judges 8:5
And he seide to the men of Socoth, Y biseche, yyue ye looues to the puple, which is with me; for thei failiden greetli, that we moun pursue Zebee and Salmana, kyngis of Madian.
Judges 8:8
And he stiede fro thennus, and cam in to Phanuel; and he spak lijk thingis to men of that place, to whom also thei answeriden, as the men of Socoth hadden answerid.
Judges 8:14
and took a child of the men of Socoth; and he axide hym the names of the princes and eldere men of Socoth; and he descryuede seuene and seuenti men in noumbre.
Judges 8:16
Therfor Gedeon took the eldere men of the citee, and thornes and breris of deseert, and he to-rente with tho, and al to-brak the men of Socoth; also he destriede the tour of Phanuel,
1 Kings 7:46
And the kyng yetide tho vessels in the feeldi cuntrey of Jordan, in cleyi lond, bitwixe Sochot and Sarcham.
Psalms 60:6
God spak bi his hooli; Y schal be glad, and Y schal departe Siccimam, and Y schal meete the greet valei of tabernaclis.

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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