He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a 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.
- BSB He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the 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 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
- Prov 21:31The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
- 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 33:16–18There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
- Ps 20:7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust the name of Yahweh our God.
- 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.
- Hos 1:7But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”
- 2 Sam 1:23Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. In their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.
- Job 39:19–25“Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?
- 2 Sam 2:18–23The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as 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.