Mazmur 33:16-17

33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; ¹ 

despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.

Mazmur 33:1

Psalm 33 ² 

33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!

It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.

1 Samuel 13:5

13:5 For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000 ³  chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.

1 Samuel 13:2

13:2 Saul selected for himself three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; ⁴  the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. ⁵  He sent all the rest of the people back home. ⁶ 

1 Samuel 8:4

8:4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah.

1 Samuel 10:18

10:18 He said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and I delivered you from the power ⁷  of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.

Amsal 21:31

21:31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,

but the victory is from the Lord. ⁸ 

Yesaya 30:16

30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’

so you will indeed flee.

You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’

so your pursuers will be fast.

Yesaya 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ⁹ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ¹⁰ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ¹¹ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ¹² 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Yeremia 17:5

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ¹³ 

17:5 The Lord says,

“I will put a curse on people

who trust in mere human beings,

who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ¹⁴ 

and whose hearts ¹⁵  have turned away from the Lord.

[33:17]  ¹ tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”

[33:1]  ² sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.

[13:5]  ³ tn Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV) read “30,000” here.

[13:2]  ⁴ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “each one to his tents.”

[10:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “hand” (also later in this verse).

[21:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “of the Lord.” The victory being “of the Lord” means that it is accomplished by him. Ultimate success comes from the Lord and not from human efforts. The faithful have acknowledged this down through the ages, even though they have been responsible and have prepared for the wars. Without this belief there would have been no prayer on the eve of battle (e.g., Ps 20:7 and 33:17).

[31:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ¹² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[17:5]  ¹³ sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.

[17:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.

[17:5]  ¹⁵ sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).