He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.
Parallel translations
- WEB He doesn’t delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
- KJV He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
- NKJV He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
- NASB He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
- NLT He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might.
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
God does not delight in the horse's strength or a man's power. He is not impressed by human or natural might.
Overview
God takes no special pleasure in the things people prize—military strength symbolized by horses and human prowess. Outward power does not earn His favor. This prepares the contrast in the next verse, redirecting confidence away from strength toward reverent trust in God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Sam 16:7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
- Prov 21:31A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
- Isa 31:1Woe 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 One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- Ps 33:16–18No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
- Ps 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Eccl 9:11I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.
- Hos 1:7Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”
- 2 Sam 1:23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
- Job 39:19–25Do you give strength to the horse or adorn his neck with a mane?
- 2 Sam 2:18–23The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 147:10 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.