The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
- BSB A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
- NKJV The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.
- NASB The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But the victory belongs to the Lord.
- NLT The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The horse is readied for battle, but victory belongs to the Lord. It matters because we must prepare responsibly yet trust God for the outcome.
Overview
Human preparation is wise and right, but the result rests in God's hands, not in military might (Psalm 20:7; 33:17). The verse holds together diligent effort and dependence on God. Victory and deliverance come from the Lord, who alone gives success.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 20:7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
- Isa 31:1Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
- Ps 33:17–18An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
- Ps 147:10He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
- Ps 68:20He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.
- Ps 3:3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
- Eccl 9:11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
- Ps 3:8Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
- Ps 144:10It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
- Jer 3:23Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 21:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.