Deuteronomy 17:16

17:16 Moreover, he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so, ¹  for the Lord has said you must never again return that way.

Psalms 20:7-8

20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, ² 

but we ³  depend on ⁴  the Lord our God.

20:8 They will fall down, ⁵ 

but we ⁶  will stand firm. ⁷ 

Psalms 33:17

33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; ⁸ 

despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.

Isaiah 30:2

30:2 They travel down to Egypt

without seeking my will, ⁹ 

seeking Pharaoh’s protection,

and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 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.

Isaiah 31:3

31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;

their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.

The Lord will strike with ¹¹  his hand;

the one who helps will stumble

and the one being helped will fall.

Together they will perish. ¹² 

Isaiah 36:8

36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.

[17:16]  ¹ tn Heb “in order to multiply horses.” The translation uses “do so” in place of “multiply horses” to avoid redundancy (cf. NAB, NIV).

[20:7]  ² tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB “boast”; NIV “trust”; NRSV “take pride”). Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.

[20:7]  ³ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.

[20:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the Lord’s name in prayer, the people demonstrate their trust in him.

[20:8]  ⁵ tn Or “stumble and fall down.”

[20:8]  ⁶ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s victorious people and the defeated enemies mentioned in the previous line. The perfect verbal forms either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle. They describe the demise of the enemy as being as good as done.

[20:8]  ⁷ tn Or “rise up and remain upright.” On the meaning of the Hitpolel of עוּד (’ud), see HALOT 795 s.v. I עוד. The verbal forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle.

[33:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”

[30:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”

[30:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”

[31:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”

[31:3]  ¹² tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”