Discovery BoxPsalms 20:7
Context20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, 1
but we 2 depend on 3 the Lord our God.
Psalms 33:16-17
Context33:16 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; 4
despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.
Hosea 1:7
Context1:7 But I will have pity on the nation 5 of Judah. 6 I will deliver them by the Lord their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior’s bow, by sword, by military victory, 7 by chariot horses, or by chariots.” 8
[20:7] 1 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] 2 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] 3 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
[33:17] 4 tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”
[1:7] 5 tn Heb “house”; cf. NCV, TEV, NLT “the people of Judah.”
[1:7] 6 tn The word order in this line is rhetorical, emphasizing the divine decision to withhold pity from Israel but to bestow it on Judah. The accusative direct object, which is introduced by a disjunctive vav (to denote contrast), appears before the verb: וְאֶת־בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֲרַחֵם (vé’et-bet yéhudah ’arakhem, “but upon the house of Judah I will show pity”).
[1:7] 7 tn Heb “by war” (so NAB, NRSV, TEV); KJV, NASB, NIV “battle.”
[1:7] 8 sn These military weapons are examples of the metonymy of adjunct (the specific weapons named) for subject (warfare).
