Bible Strands
Judges 5:22
Then the hooves of horses thundered—the mad galloping of his stallions.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Deborah pronounces this line within her victory song, addressing the assembled Israelites at the moment the River Kishon has just swept away the opposing army. The description occurs during the rout, capturing the final collapse of the enemy forces.
The words — The Hebrew עִקְּבֵי־סוּס (iqqəḇê-sūs) translates literally to "heels of horses," while דַּהֲרֹת אַבִּירֶיהָ (daḥărôt ʾabbîrêhā) means "the galloping of his mighty ones." These terms focus on the physical momentum and force of the retreating cavalry.
The thread — The motif of equine strength appears in Psalms 20:7, Psalms 33:17, and Psalms 147:10, where the text contrasts human reliance on military power with trust in God. These passages consistently state that horse strength cannot secure deliverance.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that human force operates only under divine judgment. It calls for a sober assessment of every display of power against the reality of God’s intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
Cross-references
- Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Psalms 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.
- Psalms 147:10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
- Isaiah 5:28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
- Jeremiah 47:4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
- Micah 4:13 Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.