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The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.
Proverbs 21:31 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
  • KJV The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.
  • BSB A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory 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 trust the name of Yahweh our God.
  • Isa 31:1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don’t seek Yahweh!
  • Ps 33:17–18A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.
  • Ps 147:10He doesn’t delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
  • Ps 68:20God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
  • Ps 3:3But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my 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 favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
  • Ps 3:8Salvation belongs to Yahweh. Your blessing be on your people. Selah.
  • Ps 144:10You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
  • Jer 3:23Truly in vain is help from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 21:31YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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.