New Living Translation
Proverbs 21:31
31The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Proverbs 21:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.
Context of Proverbs 21:31
29The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act. 30No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Read all of Proverbs 21Proverbs 21:31 word by word
ס֗וּס מ֭וּכָן לְי֣וֹם מִלְחָמָ֑ה וְ֝לַֽיהוָ֗ה הַתְּשׁוּעָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 21:31
- Psalms 20:7Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
- Psalms 33:17Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory— for all its strength, it cannot save you.
- Psalms 147:10He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.
- Isaiah 31:1What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
- Psalms 3:3But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
- Psalms 68:20Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.
- Psalms 144:10For you grant victory to kings! You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.
Commentaries on Proverbs 21:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31The horse is prepared against the day of battle - Horses were not used among the Jews before the time of Solomon. There was a Divine command against them, Deuteronomy 17:16; but Solomon transgressed it; see 1 Kings 10:29. But he here allows that a horse is a vain thing for safety; and that however strong and well appointed cavalry may be, still safety, escape, and victory, are of the Lord. Among the ancient Asiatics, the horse was used only for war; oxen…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-31Verses 30-31 Means are to be used, but, after all, our safety and salvation are only of the Lord. In our spiritual warfare we must arm ourselves with the whole armour of God; but our strength must be in the Lord, and in the power of his might.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30-31Human wisdom is powerless against the Lord (see Proverbs 16:1, 3, 9, 33). Similarly, military power, symbolized by the horse, is powerless without the Lord's blessing.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 30-3130-31. Men's best devices and reliances are vain compared with God's, or without His aid (Pr 19:21; Psa 20:7; 33:17).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 21:31
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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