Proverbs 21:31

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

but the victory is from the Lord. ¹ 

Jeremiah 8:6

8:6 I have listened to them very carefully, ² 

but they do not speak honestly.

None of them regrets the evil he has done.

None of them says, “I have done wrong!” ³ 

All of them persist in their own wayward course ⁴ 

like a horse charging recklessly into battle.

¹ 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).

² tn Heb “I have paid attention and I have listened.” This is another case of two concepts being joined by “and” where one expresses the main idea and the other acts as an adverbial or adjectival modifier (a figure called hendiadys).

³ tn Heb “What have I done?” The addition of the word “wrong” is implicit in the context and is supplied in the translation for clarity. The rhetorical question does not function as a denial of wrongdoing, but rather as contrite shock at one’s own wrongdoing. It is translated as a declaration for the sake of clarity.

⁴ tn Heb “each one of them turns aside into their own running course.”