New English Translation
Psalms 33:16
16No king is delivered by his vast army; a warrior is not saved by his great might.
Psalms 33:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
- New International Version (NIV)No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
- New King James Version (NKJV)No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
Context of Psalms 33:16
14From the place where he lives he looks carefully at all the earth’s inhabitants. 15He is the one who forms every human heart, and takes note of all their actions. No king is delivered by his vast army; a warrior is not saved by his great might. 17A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; despite its great strength, it cannot deliver. 18Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness
Read all of Psalms 33Psalms 33:16 word by word
אֵֽין־הַ֭מֶּלֶךְ נוֹשָׁ֣ע בְּרָב־חָ֑יִל גִּ֝בּ֗וֹר לֹֽא־יִנָּצֵ֥ל בְּרָב־כֹּֽחַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 33:16
- Psalms 44:3For they did not conquer the land by their swords, and they did not prevail by their strength, but rather by your power, strength and good favor, for you were partial to them.
- Exodus 14:17And as for me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will come after them, that I may be honored because of Pharaoh and his army and his chariots and his horsemen.
- Joshua 11:4These kings came out with their armies; they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore and had a large number of horses and chariots.
- Judges 7:2The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’
- 1 Samuel 14:8Jonathan replied, “All right! We’ll go over to these men and fight them.
- 1 Kings 20:10Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.”
- 2 Chronicles 14:9Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah,
- 2 Chronicles 20:12Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.”
- 2 Chronicles 32:8He has with him mere human strength, but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.
- Joshua 14:12Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer them, as the Lord promised.”
- 1 Samuel 17:4Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.
- 2 Samuel 21:16Now Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, had a spear that weighed three hundred bronze shekels, and he was armed with a new weapon. He had said that he would kill David.
- Jeremiah 9:23The Lord says, “Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich.
Commentaries on Psalms 33:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16There is no king saved by the multitude of a host - Even in the midst of the most powerful and numerous army, no king is in safety unless he have God's protection. A king is but a man, and may as easily lose his life as one of his common soldiers. A mighty man is not delivered by much strength - There are times in which his might can be of no avail to him: and unless the mighty, the wise, the honorable, etc., have the protection of God, there is no time…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16There is no king saved by the multitude of an host - By the number of his armies. His safety, however numerous and mighty may be his forces, is in God alone. He is the great Protector, whatever means men may use to defend themselves. The most numerous and the best organized armies cannot secure a victory. It is, after all, wholly in the hands of God. A wasting sickness in a camp may defeat all the plans of war; or success in battle may depend on…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-22Verses 12-22 All the motions and operations of the souls of men, which no mortals know but themselves, God knows better than they do. Their hearts, as well as their times, are all in his hand; he formed the spirit of each man within him. All the powers of the creature depend upon him, and are of no account, of no avail at all, without him. If we make God's favour sure towards us, then we need not fear whatever is against us. We are to give to him the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17army …great strength. … horse: Even military power is under God's control (see Psalm 33:10–11; Ecclesiastes 9:11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1912-19. The inference from the foregoing in Psa 33:12 is illustrated by God's special providence, underlying which is His minute knowledge of all men.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 33:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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