'Swift' in the Bible

“The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle swoops down [to attack], a nation whose language you will not understand,

They also brought the barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds (warhorses, chargers) to the place where it was needed, each man according to his assignment.

Courageous men from the Gadites came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains.

He wrote [a decree] in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on the royal [mail] relay horses, the offspring of the racing mares.

So the couriers, who were mounted on the royal relay horses, left quickly, urged on by the king’s command; and the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa [the capital].

“They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds,Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

“Who sent out the wild donkey free [from dependence on man]?And who has loosed the bonds of the wild donkey [to survive in the wild],

“Yet when she lifts herself on high,[So swift is she that] she laughs at the horse and his rider.

“Behind him he makes a shining wake;One would think the deep to be gray-haired [with foam].

A heart that creates wicked plans,Feet that run swiftly to evil,

I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all.

A throne will be established in lovingkindness,And One will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent (dynasty, family) of David;Judging and seeking justiceAnd being prompt to do righteousness.

Which sends ambassadors by the sea,Even in vessels of papyrus on the surface of the waters.Go, swift messengers, to a nation [of people] tall and smooth (clean shaven),To a people feared far and wide,A powerful and oppressive nationWhose land the rivers divide.

The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Egypt:Listen carefully, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

And you said, “No! We will flee on horses!”Therefore you will flee [from your enemies]!And [you said], “We will ride on swift horses!”Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.

Do not let the swift man run,Nor the mighty man escape;In the north by the river EuphratesThey have stumbled and fallen.

On that day [swift] messengers will go from Me in ships to frighten the careless and unsuspecting Ethiopians, and there will be anguish and trembling in them as in the day of [judgment for] Egypt; for behold, it is coming!”

“Flight will be lost to the swift [so they will be unable to escape],And the strong shall not strengthen nor maintain his power,Nor shall the mighty man save his own life.

“He who handles the bow will not stand his ground,The one who is swift of foot will not escape,Nor will he who rides the horse save his life [from the invading army].

Harness the chariot to the team of horses [to escape the invasion],O inhabitant of Lachish—She was the beginning of sinTo the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem)—Because in you were foundThe rebellious acts of Israel.

“Then I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, and against those who oppress the laborer in his wages and widows and the fatherless, and against those who turn away the alien [from his right], and those who do not fear Me [with awe-filled reverence],” says the Lord of hosts.

“Their feet are swift to shed blood,

But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.