Job 16:15

16:15 I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, ¹ 

and buried ²  my horn ³  in the dust;

Psalms 75:5

75:5 Do not be so certain you have won! ⁴ 

Do not speak with your head held so high! ⁵ 

Psalms 75:10

75:10 God says, ⁶ 

“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;

the godly will be victorious.” ⁷ 

Psalms 89:24

89:24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love, ⁸ 

and by my name he will win victories. ⁹ 

Psalms 132:17

132:17 There I will make David strong; ¹⁰ 

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 48:25

48:25 Moab’s might will be crushed. Its power will be broken. ¹²  I, the Lord, affirm it! ¹³ 

Luke 1:69

1:69 For ¹⁴  he has raised up ¹⁵  a horn of salvation ¹⁶  for us in the house of his servant David, ¹⁷ 

[16:15]  ¹ sn The language is hyperbolic; Job is saying that the sackcloth he has put on in his lamentable state is now stuck to his skin as if he had stitched it into the skin. It is now a habitual garment that he never takes off.

[16:15]  ² tn The Poel עֹלַלְתִּי (’olalti) from עָלַל (’alal, “to enter”) has here the meaning of “to thrust in.” The activity is the opposite of “raising high the horn,” a picture of dignity and victory.

[16:15]  ³ tn There is no English term that captures exactly what “horn” is meant to do. Drawn from the animal world, the image was meant to convey strength and pride and victory. Some modern commentators have made other proposals for the line. Svi Rin suggested from Ugaritic that the verb be translated “lower” or “dip” (“Ugaritic – Old Testament Affinities,” BZ 7 [1963]: 22-33).

[75:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “do not lift up on high your horn.”

[75:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “[do not] speak with unrestrained neck.” The negative particle is understood in this line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[75:10]  ⁶ tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.

[75:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).

[89:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”

[89:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[132:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.

[132:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).

[48:25]  ¹² tn Heb “The horn of Moab will be cut off. His arm will be broken.” “Horn” and “arm” are both symbols of strength (see BDB 902 s.v. קֶרֶן 2 [and compare usage in Lam 2:3] and BDB 284 s.v. זְרוֹעַ 2 [and compare usage in 1 Sam 2:31]). The figures have been interpreted for the sake of clarity.

[48:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[1:69]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.

[1:69]  ¹⁵ sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.

[1:69]  ¹⁶ sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Ps 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”

[1:69]  ¹⁷ sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.