Bible Strands
Proverbs 21:31
A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Solomon (or the wisdom tradition) addresses a general audience of Israelites; no specific occasion is given, and the verse closes a short block (21:29–31) on the limits of human agency.
The words — תְּשׁוּעָה (tĕshu'ah) is the standard Hebrew word for "salvation" or "deliverance" used throughout the Old Testament; here it is narrowed to "victory" in a military context, but the word itself carries the full weight of rescue.
The thread — The same contrast between horses and Yahweh recurs in Psalms 20:7, Psalms 33:17, and Isaiah 31:1, where reliance on military hardware is called vain or condemned.
Why it lands — The verse does not forbid preparation; it reassigns the outcome. A reader is asked to hold their own role (preparation) and God's role (victory) in separate hands rather than collapsing one into the other.
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
The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.
Cross-references
- Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Isaiah 31:1 Woe 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.
- 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.
- Psalms 3:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
- Psalms 68:20 Our God is a God of deliverance; the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.
- Psalms 3:8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be on Your people. Selah
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 I 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.
- Psalms 144:10 to Him who gives victory to kings, who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.
- Jeremiah 3:23 Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.