Psalms 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.

Psalms 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.

Psalms 13:5

13:5 But I ³  trust in your faithfulness.

May I rejoice because of your deliverance! ⁴ 

Psalms 13:2

13:2 How long must I worry, ⁵ 

and suffer in broad daylight? ⁶ 

How long will my enemy gloat over me? ⁷ 

Psalms 8:4

8:4 Of what importance is the human race, ⁸  that you should notice ⁹  them?

Of what importance is mankind, ¹⁰  that you should pay attention to them, ¹¹ 

Psalms 10:18

10:18 You defend ¹²  the fatherless and oppressed, ¹³ 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ¹⁴ 

Proverbs 21:31

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

but the victory is from the Lord. ¹⁵ 

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 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ¹⁶ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ¹⁷ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ¹⁸ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ¹⁹ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:5

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ²⁰ 

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, ²¹ 

and whose hearts ²²  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 The grammatical construction used here (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.

[13:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.

[13:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “How long will I put counsel in my being?”

[13:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “[with] grief in my heart by day.”

[13:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “be exalted over me.” Perhaps one could translate, “How long will my enemy defeat me?”

[8:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.

[8:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “remember him.”

[8:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

[8:4]  ¹¹ tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.

[10:18]  ¹² tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[21:31]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[17:5]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ²² 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).