Reference: Horse
Easton
always referred to in the Bible in connection with warlike operations, except Isa 28:28. The war-horse is described Job 39:19-25. For a long period after their settlement in Canaan the Israelites made no use of horses, according to the prohibition, De 17:16. David was the first to form a force of cavalry (2Sa 8:4). But Solomon, from his connection with Egypt, greatly multiplied their number (1Ki 4:26; 10:26,29). After this, horses were freely used in Israel (1Ki 22:4; 2Ki 3:7; 9:21,33; 11:16). The furniture of the horse consisted simply of a bridle (Isa 30:28) and a curb (Ps 32:9).
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Moreover he shall not multiply to himself horses, neither shall he cause the people to return to Egypt that he may multiply horses, - when, Yahweh, hath said unto you, Ye shall not again return this way any more.
And David captured from him, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, - and David destroyed all the chariots, but reserved of them, a hundred chariots.
And it came to pass that, Solomon, had forty thousand stalls of horses, for his chariots, - and twelve thousand horsemen.
And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen, and so it was that he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, - for whom he found place in the chariot cities, and near the king, in Jerusalem.
And a chariot came up and forth out of Egypt, for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for a hundred and fifty, - and, so, for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means, came they forth.
And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to make war upon Ramoth-gilead?
Couldst thou give - to the Horse - strength? Couldst thou clothe his neck with the quivering mane? Couldst thou cause him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his snort, is a terror! read more. He diggeth into the plain, and rejoiceth in vigour, he goeth forth to meet armour; He laugheth at dread, and is not dismayed, neither turneth he back, from the face of the sword; Against him, whiz the arrows of the quiver, the flashing head of spear and javelin; With stamping and rage, he drinketh up the ground, - he will not stand still when the horn soundeth; As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle, - the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.
Do not ye become like a horse, like a mule, without discernment, - With the bit and bridle of his mouth, hast thou to restrain him, - He will not come near unto thee.
Bread-corn, must be crushed, - Yet would he not be evermore, threshing, it, So he hasteneth over it the wheel of his cart, with his horsemen, He crusheth it not!
And, his breath like an overflowing torrent, even unto the neck, doth reach, To sift nations with a sieve of calamity, - A bridle leading to ruin, being upon the jaws of the peoples.
Fausets
In Scripture used for war-like purposes, not agriculture (except in treading out grain for threshing, Isa 28:28, where for "horsemen" translated "horses".) Job's magnificent description refers to the war horse (Isa 39:8), "hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?" i.e. with the power of inspiring terror. Rather "with majesty" (Umbreit), "with quivering mane" (Maurer). The Greek connection between mane (fobee) and terror (fobos) favors A.V. which is more poetic. "Canst thou make him afraid (rather 'make him spring') as a grasshopper?" So in Joe 2:4 war horses are compared to locusts. Their heads are so like that the Italian for "locust" is cavaletta, "little horse." "The glory of his nostrils is terrible: he paweth in the valley and rejoiceth in strength, he goeth on," etc.; "he swalloweth the ground with fierceness," i.e. draws it in fierce impatience toward him with his hoof, as if he would "swallow" it.
Neither believeth he (for joy) that it is the sound of the trumpet, rather "he will not stand still at the sound." "He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha!" his mettlesome neighing expressing his eagerness for battle, which "he smelleth," snuffeth, i.e. discerneth, "the thunder (i.e. thundering voice) of the captains." (See CHARIOT.) The donkey is the emblem of peace. The bride is compared to "a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots" (Song 1:9), namely, in ardor and beauty (Song 1:4, "run"; Song 1:5, "comely"), and in forming "a company" militant, orderly, and numerous (Re 19:7,14). The qualities which seemed preeminent in the enemy Pharaoh's hosts at the Red Sea really belonged to Israel. Maurer translated "I compare thee to my mare in chariots of (i.e. received from) Pharaoh," but the plural "chariots" requires the collective sense "a company of horses."
The "cutting off of the horse from Jerusalem" prophetically symbolizes the cessation of war (Zec 9:10). Not the horse's speed or utility but his "strength" is his characteristic in Scripture (Ps 33:17). Two names are used in Hebrew, both Persian in origin: sus from Susa, and parash from Pares. The sus was of stronger make, used for the war chariot; the parash more for riding. Perhaps in Ex 14:9 "horsemen" mean "chariot riders." Certainly no Egyptian monument represents horsemen. Translated in 1Ki 4:26, "forty (rather 'four,' a copyist's error, as 2Ch 9:25 proves. Also 1400 chariots suit 4000 horses, two horses for each chariot and a reserve horse: 2Ch 1:14; 1Ki 10:26) thousand chariot horses and twelve thousand riding (i.e. cavalry) horses"; Eze 27:14, "with (chariot) horses and riding horses" (KJV "horsemen".)
Isa 21:7, "a chariot with a couple of horsemen"; rather "a cavalcade of horsemen riding in pairs." In 1Ki 4:28; Es 8:14; Mic 1:13, rekesh "dromedary"; rather "a courser," a "racehorse," for such purposes as the royal post. In 1Ki 10:28-29, the sense seems that the Egyptians regularly brought horses to a mart in S. Palestine (Septuagint and Vulgate name the mart in their translation), of the Hebrew Koa. In A. V. Mi-Kveh is translated "linen yarn") and handed them to the king's dealers at a fixed price, 150 shekels for one horse, 600 for a chariot, including its two draught horses and one reserve horse. In Ge 12:15 horses are not mentioned among the possessions which Abram acquired during his sojourn in Egypt. But in Ge 47:17 they stand foremost among the Egyptians' possessions. In later times, the greater contact of Egypt with Canaanite and Arab nomads' accounts for the introduction of horses.
The camel, one of Abram's possessions in Egypt, is not mentioned in Joseph's time nor on the Egyptian monuments. Their early possession of the desert of Sinai makes it certain they knew and must have used the camel there, "the ship of the desert," but they avoid mentioning it as being unclean. Saddles were not used until a late period. Horses' hoofs hard "as flint" were a good point in days when shoeing was unknown (Isa 5:28). White horses were emblematic of victory (Re 6:2; 19:11,14). Horses were consecrated to the sun, since that luminary was supposed to drive a fiery chariot through the sky (2Ki 23:11). They were driven in procession to meet the rising sun.
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And the princes of Pharaoh beheld her, and praised her unto Pharaoh, - so the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh;
So they brought in their cattle unto Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses and for the cattle of the flock and for the cattle of the herd, and for the asses, - and he provided them with bread for all their cattle, throughout that year.
So the Egyptians pursued them and overtook them, encamping by the sea - all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his forces, - by Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
And it came to pass that, Solomon, had forty thousand stalls of horses, for his chariots, - and twelve thousand horsemen.
Barley also and crushed straw, for the horses and for the swift beasts, brought they in unto the place where it should be, every man according to his charge.
And the horses that Solomon had were, an export, out of Egypt, - and, a company of the merchants of the king, used to fetch, a drove, at a price, And a chariot came up and forth out of Egypt, for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for a hundred and fifty, - and, so, for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means, came they forth.
and he did away with the horses, which the kings of Judah had devoted to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Yahweh, near the chamber of Nathan-melech the courtier, which was in the suburbs, also, the chariots of the sun, burned he with fire;
And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and came to have a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, - and he settled them in chariot cities, and with the king, in Jerusalem.
And Solomon had four thousand stalls of horses, and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, - and he settled them in the chariot cities, and with the king in Jerusalem.
The runners that rode on the swift steeds used in the king's service, went forth, being urged forward and pressed on, by the word of the king, - and, the edict, was given in Shusan the palace.
A deception, is the horse, for victory, and, by his great strength, shall he not deliver.
SHEDraw me! THEYAfter thee, will we run! SHEThe king, hath brought me, into his chambers. THEYWe will exult and rejoice in thee, we will mention thy caresses, beyond wine, Sincerely they love thee. SHESwarthy, I am but comely, ye daughters of Jerusalem. THEYLike the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
To a mare of mine, in the chariots of Pharaoh, have I likened thee, my fair one!
Whose arrows, are sharpened, and all his bows, bent, - The hoofs of his horses, like flint, are accounted, And, his wheels, are like a storm-wind:
When he seeth A train of horsemen in double rank, A train of asses, A train of camels, Then shall he hearken attentively with diligent heed.
Bread-corn, must be crushed, - Yet would he not be evermore, threshing, it, So he hasteneth over it the wheel of his cart, with his horsemen, He crusheth it not!
And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Yahweh, which thou hast spoken. And he said, Surely, there shall be peace and stability in my days.
Some of the house of Togarmah, with horses and horsemen and mules, Took part in thy traffic:
As the appearance of horses, is his appearance, and, as war-horses, so, shall they run:
Bind the chariot to the steed, O inhabitress of Lachish, - the beginning of sin, was she to the daughter of Zion, for, in thee, have been found the transgressions of Israel.
So will he cut off the chariot out of Ephraim, and the horse out of Jerusalem, and the war-bow, shall be cut off, So shall he speak peace to the nations, and, his dominion, shall be from sea to sea, and from the river Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
And I saw, and lo! a white horse, - and he that was sitting thereon holding a bow; and there was given unto him a crown, and he went forth conquering, and that he might conquer.
Let us rejoice and exult, and give glory unto him, because the marriage of the Lamb, is come, and, his wife, hath made herself ready;
And I saw heaven, set open, and lo! a white horse, and, he that was sitting thereon, calledFaithful, and True; and, in righteousness, doth he judge and make war;
And, the armies which were in heaven, were following him, upon white horses, clothed with fine linen, white, pure;
And, the armies which were in heaven, were following him, upon white horses, clothed with fine linen, white, pure;
Hastings
The Israelites must have been acquainted with horses in Egypt (Ge 47:17), and it is evident, too, from the Tell el-Amarna correspondence that horses were familiar animals in Palestine at an early period; but it would appear that the children of Israel were slow in adopting them. Throughout the OT up to the Exile they appear only as war-horses; the ass, the mule, and the camel were the beasts for riding and burden-bearing. Even for warlike purposes horses were only slowly adopted, the mountainous regions held by the Israelites being unsuitable for chariot warfare. David commenced acquiring chariots (2Sa 8:4), and Solomon greatly added to their numbers, obtaining horses for them from Musri [not Mizraim, 'Egypt'] in N. Syria and Kue, in Cilicia (1Ki 10:28; 2Ch 1:16 [amending the text]). Horses were obtained also from Egypt (31/1/type/emb'>Isa 31:1,3; Eze 17:15). Some of the references may be to hired horsemen. The kings of Israel were warned against multiplying horses (De 17:16). Trust in horses is put in antithesis to trust in the Lord (Isa 30:16; Ps 20:7; 33:17). Before the reforms of Josiah, horses sacred to the sun were kept in the Temple (2Ki 23:11; cf. 2Ki 11:16). The appearance of the war-horse seems to have made a deep impression (Job 39:19-25; Jer 47:3; Na 3:2 etc.). After the Exile horses were much more common: the returning Jews brought 736 horses with them (Ne 7:68). Horses were fed on barley and tibn (chopped straw) in Solomon's time as in Palestine to-day (1Ki 4:28). Although the breeding of horses has become so intimately associated with our ideas of the Arabs, it would seem that during the whole OT period horses were unknown, or at least scarce, in Arabia. The equipment of horses is mentioned in the Bible
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So they brought in their cattle unto Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses and for the cattle of the flock and for the cattle of the herd, and for the asses, - and he provided them with bread for all their cattle, throughout that year.
Moreover he shall not multiply to himself horses, neither shall he cause the people to return to Egypt that he may multiply horses, - when, Yahweh, hath said unto you, Ye shall not again return this way any more.
And David captured from him, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, - and David destroyed all the chariots, but reserved of them, a hundred chariots.
Barley also and crushed straw, for the horses and for the swift beasts, brought they in unto the place where it should be, every man according to his charge.
And the horses that Solomon had were, an export, out of Egypt, - and, a company of the merchants of the king, used to fetch, a drove, at a price,
So they made way for her, and she entered the road by which the horses approached the house of the king, and was slain there.
and he did away with the horses, which the kings of Judah had devoted to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Yahweh, near the chamber of Nathan-melech the courtier, which was in the suburbs, also, the chariots of the sun, burned he with fire;
their horses, were seven hundred, and thirty-six, - their mules, two hundred, and forty-five;
Couldst thou give - to the Horse - strength? Couldst thou clothe his neck with the quivering mane? Couldst thou cause him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his snort, is a terror! read more. He diggeth into the plain, and rejoiceth in vigour, he goeth forth to meet armour; He laugheth at dread, and is not dismayed, neither turneth he back, from the face of the sword; Against him, whiz the arrows of the quiver, the flashing head of spear and javelin; With stamping and rage, he drinketh up the ground, - he will not stand still when the horn soundeth; As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle, - the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.
These, by chariots, and, those, by horses, but, we, by the Name of Yahweh our God, will prevail.
Do not ye become like a horse, like a mule, without discernment, - With the bit and bridle of his mouth, hast thou to restrain him, - He will not come near unto thee.
A deception, is the horse, for victory, and, by his great strength, shall he not deliver.
A whip for the horse, a bridle a for the ass, and a rod for the back of dullards.
Whose arrows, are sharpened, and all his bows, bent, - The hoofs of his horses, like flint, are accounted, And, his wheels, are like a storm-wind:
But ye said, - Nay! but on horses, will we flee For this cause, shall ye indeed flee, - And on the swift, will we ride, For this cause, swift, shall be your pursuers:
Alas! for them who are going down to Egypt for help, On horses, would rely, - And have trusted - In chariots - because they are many, and In horsemen, because they are very bold, But have not looked unto the Holy One of Israel, And onto Yahweh, have not sought.
Now, the Egyptians, are, men, and not, GOD, And their horses, flesh, and not, spirit; When, Yahweh, shall stretch out his hand, Then I he that is giving help, shall stumble And I he that is receiving help shall fall, And together, shall all of them vanish!
Because of the sound of the tramping of the hoofs of his chargers, Because of the rushing of his chariots, the rumbling of his wheels Fathers shall not turn, to children, Because of the unnerving of their hands;
But he hath rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt, that there should be given to him horses, and much people. Shall he thrive? Shall he escape that doeth these things? Shall he break a covenant and escape?
Dedan was a merchant of thine,- With spreading wraps for riding:
The sound of the whip, and the sound of the rushing wheel, - and horse galloping, and dancing chariot rattling along.
In that day, shall there be inscribed upon the bells of the horses, Holy unto Yahweh, - and the caldrons in the house of Yahweh shall be like the dashing bowls before the altar.
Morish
The horse was used among the Israelites only for war, either in chariots or for what is now called cavalry; but its use betokened failure in confidence on the Lord: see Ho 14:3. They had been forbidden to multiply horses, De 17:16; and at first they hamstrung the horses, and burnt the chariots of the Canaanites. Jos 11:6,9. David, however, after the defeat of Hadadezer, reserved 100 horses for chariots. 2Sa 8:4. (See a description of the war-horse in Job 39:19-25.) Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen. 1Ki 4:26.
Symbolically the horse represents careering imperial power, in general providentially controlled. In the early part of Zechariah the prophet had visions of horses of different colours, they are called spirits of the heavens, and as such they acted in the four great Gentile empires described by Daniel. When these are further spoken of, the red horses are not named, for the Chaldean empire had passed away when Zechariah saw the vision. Zec 1:8; 6:1-7.
In the Revelation also there are horses and riders thereon, representing the powers engaged in the providential course of God's dealings. Re 6:1-8; cf. 9/7/type/emb'>Re 9:7,9,17. In Rev. 19 the Lord Jesus, the Faithful and True, comes forth on a white horse, to make war in righteousness. Re 19:11-21. See REVELATION.
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Moreover he shall not multiply to himself horses, neither shall he cause the people to return to Egypt that he may multiply horses, - when, Yahweh, hath said unto you, Ye shall not again return this way any more.
Then said Yahweh unto Joshua - Do not fear because of them, for, to-morrow, about this time, am I going to deliver up all of them, slain, before Israel, - their horses, shalt thou ham-string, and, their chariots, shalt thou burn up with fire.
And Joshua did unto them, as Yahweh had said unto him, - their horses, he ham-strung, and, their chariots, burned he up with fire.
And David captured from him, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, - and David destroyed all the chariots, but reserved of them, a hundred chariots.
And it came to pass that, Solomon, had forty thousand stalls of horses, for his chariots, - and twelve thousand horsemen.
Couldst thou give - to the Horse - strength? Couldst thou clothe his neck with the quivering mane? Couldst thou cause him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his snort, is a terror! read more. He diggeth into the plain, and rejoiceth in vigour, he goeth forth to meet armour; He laugheth at dread, and is not dismayed, neither turneth he back, from the face of the sword; Against him, whiz the arrows of the quiver, the flashing head of spear and javelin; With stamping and rage, he drinketh up the ground, - he will not stand still when the horn soundeth; As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle, - the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.
Assyria, shall not save us, Upon horses, will we not ride, neither will we say any more - Our god! to the work of our own hands! For, in thee, shall the fatherless, find compassion.
I looked by night, And lo! a man riding upon a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees, in the shade; and, after him, were horses, red, bay, and white.
And once again I lifted mine eyes, and looked, and lo! four chariots, coming forward from between two mountains, - now, the mountains, were mountains of copper. In the first chariot, were red horses, - and, in the second chariot, black horses; read more. and, in the third chariot, white horses, - and, in the fourth chariot, horses spotted, deep red. Then began I, and said, unto the messenger who was speaking with me, - What are these, my lord? And the messenger answered, and said unto me, - These, are the four winds of the heavens, coming forward after each hath presented itself near the Lord of all the earth. They in whose chariot are the black horses, are going forth into the land of the North, and, the white, have gone forth after them, - and, the spotted, have gone forth into the land of the South; and, the deep red, have come forward and sought to go their way, that they might journey to and fro in the land, so he said, Go your way, journey to and fro in the land, - and they journeyed to and fro in the land.
And I saw, when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder - Go! And I saw, and lo! a white horse, - and he that was sitting thereon holding a bow; and there was given unto him a crown, and he went forth conquering, and that he might conquer. read more. And, when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature, saying - Go! And there went forth another, a red horse, - and, unto him that was sitting thereon, it was given, unto him, to take away peace from the earth, and that, one another, they should slay; and there was given unto him a great sword. And, when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature, saying - Go! And I saw, and lo! a black horse, and he that was sitting thereon holding a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard as a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying - A quart of wheat for, a denary, and three quarts of barley, for a denary, - and, the oil and the wine, do not wrong. And, when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature, saying - Go! And I saw, and lo! a livid horse, - and he that was sitting thereupon had for a name, Death, and, Hades, was following with him; and there was given unto them authority over the fourth of the earth, to slay with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
And, the likenesses of the locusts, were like unto horses prepared for battle; and, upon their heads, as it were crowns, like unto gold, and, their faces, were as the faces of men,
and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and, the sound of their wings, was as the sound of chariots of many horses, running into battle;
And, thus, saw I the horses in the vision, - and them who were sitting upon them, having breastplates as of fire and hyacinth and brimstone; - and, the heads of the horses, were as heads of lions, and, out of their mouths, come forth fire and smoke and brimstone:
And I saw heaven, set open, and lo! a white horse, and, he that was sitting thereon, calledFaithful, and True; and, in righteousness, doth he judge and make war; and, his eyes, are a flame of fire, and, upon his head, are many diadems, having, a name, written, which, no one, knoweth, but himself, read more. and arrayed with a mantle sprinkled with blood, and his name hath been called - The Word of God. And, the armies which were in heaven, were following him, upon white horses, clothed with fine linen, white, pure; and, out of his mouth, is going forth a sharp sword, that, therewith, he may smite the nations, - and, he, shall shepherd them with a sceptre of iron, and, he, treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of the anger of God the Almighty. And he hath, upon his mantle and upon his thigh, a name, written - King of kings, and Lord of lords. And I saw one messenger, standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, unto all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, - Hither! be gathered together unto the great supper of God, - that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them who sit upon them, and the flesh of all, both free and bond, and small and great. And I saw the wild-beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together - to make war with him who was sitting upon the horse, and with his army. And the wild-beast, was taken, and, with him, the false prophet who wrought the signs before him, whereby he deceived them who received the mark of the wild-beast and them who were doing homage unto his image, - alive, were they two cast into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone. And, the rest, were slain with the sword of him that was sitting upon the horse, which went forth out of his mouth, and, all the birds, were filled with their flesh.
Smith
Horse.
The most striking feature in the biblical notices of the horse is the exclusive application of it to warlike operations; in no instance is that useful animal employed for the purposes of ordinary locomotion or agriculture, if we except
The animated description of the horse in
applies solely to the war-horse. The Hebrews in the patriarchal age, as a pastoral race, did not stand in need of the services Of the horse, and for a long period after their settlement in Canaan they dispensed with it, partly in consequence of the hilly nature of the country, which only admitted of the use of chariots in certain localities,
and partly in consequence to the prohibition in
De 17:16
which would be held to apply at all periods. David first established a force of cavalry and chariots,
but the great supply of horses was subsequently effected by Solomon through his connection with Egypt.
Solomon also established a very active trade in horses, which were brought by dealers out of Egypt and resold, at a profit, to the Hittites. With regard to the trappings and management of the horse we have little information. The bridle was placed over the horse's nose,
and a bit or curb is also mentioned.
2Ki 19:28; Ps 32:9; Pr 26:3; Isa 37:29
In the Authorized Version it is incorrectly given "bridle," with the exception of
... Saddles were not used until a late period. The horses were not shod, and therefore hoofs are hard "as flint,"
were regarded as a great merit. The chariot-horses were covered with embroidered trappings
Horses and chariots were used also in idolatrous processions, as noticed in regard to the sun.
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Moreover he shall not multiply to himself horses, neither shall he cause the people to return to Egypt that he may multiply horses, - when, Yahweh, hath said unto you, Ye shall not again return this way any more.
And it same to pass that Yahweh was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, - but did not dispossess the inhabitants of the vale, because they had, chariots of iron.
And David captured from him, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, - and David destroyed all the chariots, but reserved of them, a hundred chariots.
And it came to pass that, Solomon, had forty thousand stalls of horses, for his chariots, - and twelve thousand horsemen.
Because, thy raging against me, and thy contempt, have come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my ring in thy nose, and my bit in thy lips, and will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
and he did away with the horses, which the kings of Judah had devoted to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Yahweh, near the chamber of Nathan-melech the courtier, which was in the suburbs, also, the chariots of the sun, burned he with fire;
Couldst thou give - to the Horse - strength? Couldst thou clothe his neck with the quivering mane? Couldst thou cause him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his snort, is a terror! read more. He diggeth into the plain, and rejoiceth in vigour, he goeth forth to meet armour; He laugheth at dread, and is not dismayed, neither turneth he back, from the face of the sword; Against him, whiz the arrows of the quiver, the flashing head of spear and javelin; With stamping and rage, he drinketh up the ground, - he will not stand still when the horn soundeth; As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle, - the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.
Do not ye become like a horse, like a mule, without discernment, - With the bit and bridle of his mouth, hast thou to restrain him, - He will not come near unto thee.
A whip for the horse, a bridle a for the ass, and a rod for the back of dullards.
Whose arrows, are sharpened, and all his bows, bent, - The hoofs of his horses, like flint, are accounted, And, his wheels, are like a storm-wind:
Bread-corn, must be crushed, - Yet would he not be evermore, threshing, it, So he hasteneth over it the wheel of his cart, with his horsemen, He crusheth it not!
And, his breath like an overflowing torrent, even unto the neck, doth reach, To sift nations with a sieve of calamity, - A bridle leading to ruin, being upon the jaws of the peoples.
Because, thy raging against me, and thy contempt, have come up into mine ears, Therefore will I put My ring in thy nose, and My bit in thy lips, And will turn thee back, by the way by which thou earnest.
Dedan was a merchant of thine,- With spreading wraps for riding:
Watsons
HORSE, ???. Horses were very rare among the Hebrews in the early ages. The patriarchs had none; and after the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, God expressly forbade their ruler to procure them: "He shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way," De 17:16. As horses appear to have been generally furnished by Egypt, God prohibits these,
1. Lest there should be such commerce with Egypt as might lead to idolatry.
2. Lest the people might depend on a well appointed cavalry, as a means of security, and so cease from trusting in the promised aid and protection of Jehovah.
3. That they might not be tempted to extend their dominion by means of cavalry, and so get scattered among the surrounding idolatrous nations, and thus cease in process of time, to be that distinct and separate people which God intended they should be, and without which the prophecies relative to the Messiah could not be known to have their due and full accomplishment. In the time of the Judges we find horses and war chariots among the Canaanites, but still the Israelites had none; and hence they were generally too timid to venture down into the plains, confining their conquests to the mountainous parts of the country. In the reign of Saul, it would appear, that horse breeding had not yet been introduced into Arabia; for, in a war with some of the Arabian nations, the Israelites got plunder in camels, sheep, and asses, but no horses. David's enemies brought against him a strong force of cavalry into the field; and in the book of Psalms the horse commonly appears only on the side of the enemies of the people of God; and so entirely unaccustomed to the management of this animal had the Israelites still continued, that, after a battle, in which they took a considerable body of cavalry prisoners, 2Sa 8:4, David caused most of the horses to be cut down, because he did not know what use to make of them. Solomon was the first who established a cavalry force. Under these circumstances, it is not wonderful that the Mosaic law should take no notice of an animal which we hold in such high estimation. To Moses, educated as he was in Egypt, and, with his people, at last chased out by Pharaoh's cavalry, the use of the horse for war and for travelling was well known; but as it was his object to establish a nation of husbandmen, and not of soldiers for the conquest of foreign lands, and as Palestine, from its situation, required not the defence of cavalry, he might very well decline introducing among his people the yet unusual art of horse breeding. Solomon, having married a daughter of Pharaoh, procured a breed of horses from Egypt; and so greatly did he multiply them, that he had four hundred stables, forty thousand stalls, and twelve thousand horsemen, 1Ki 4:26; 2Ch 9:25. It seems that the Egyptian horses were in high repute, and were much used in war. When the Israelites were disposed to place too implicit confidence in the assistance of cavalry, the prophet remonstrated in these terms: "The Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses are flesh, not spirit," Isa 31:3.
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Moreover he shall not multiply to himself horses, neither shall he cause the people to return to Egypt that he may multiply horses, - when, Yahweh, hath said unto you, Ye shall not again return this way any more.
And David captured from him, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, - and David destroyed all the chariots, but reserved of them, a hundred chariots.
And it came to pass that, Solomon, had forty thousand stalls of horses, for his chariots, - and twelve thousand horsemen.
Now, the Egyptians, are, men, and not, GOD, And their horses, flesh, and not, spirit; When, Yahweh, shall stretch out his hand, Then I he that is giving help, shall stumble And I he that is receiving help shall fall, And together, shall all of them vanish!