Proverbs 21:31 - Exposition

The horse is prepared against the clay of battle. The horse is an emblem of military power and activity. To the earlier Jews, who were unaccustomed to its use, and indeed forbidden to employ it ( Deuteronomy 17:16 ), the horse and horse-drawn chariots were objects of extreme terror ( Joshua 17:16 ; 4:3 ), and though Solomon had largely imported them from Egypt ( 1 Kings 4:26 ; 1 Kings 10:26 , etc.), these animals were used exclusively for war, and, at this time, their services were never applied to agricultural purposes. The proverb asserts that, though all preparations are made for the battle, and material forces are of the best and strongest description, but safety ( victory ) is of the Lord (see Psalms 20:7 ; Psalms 33:16 , etc.). Septuagint, "But from the Lord is the help ( ἡ βοήθεια )." The great truth here taught may be applied to spiritual matters. The only safety against spiritual enemies is the grace of God; we can cry, with St. Paul ( 1 Corinthians 15:57 ), "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." "By the name 'horse,'" says St. Gregory ('Moral.,' 31.43), "is understood the preparation of right intention, as it is written, 'The horse is prepared,' etc.; because the mind prepares itself indeed against temptation, but contends not healthfully unless it be assisted from above."