Psalms 33:17

33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; ¹ 

despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.

Psalms 76:6

76:6 At the sound of your battle cry, ²  O God of Jacob,

both rider ³  and horse “fell asleep.” ⁴ 

Psalms 147:10

147:10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,

nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs. ⁵ 

[33:17]  ¹ tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”

[76:6]  ² tn Heb “from your shout.” The noun is derived from the Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 18:15; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[76:6]  ³ tn Or “chariot,” but even so the term is metonymic for the charioteer.

[76:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “he fell asleep, and [the] chariot and [the] horse.” Once again (see v. 5) “sleep” refers here to the “sleep” of death.

[147:10]  ³ tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” Here “the horse” refers to the war horse used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” refers to the warrior whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.