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Selected Verse: Proverbs 21:30 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Pr 21:30	Strong Concordance	There is no wisdom [02451] nor understanding [08394] nor counsel [06098] against the LORD [03068].
	King James	There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Men's best devices and reliances are vain compared with God's, or without His aid (Pro 19:21; Psa 20:7; Psa 33:17).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Men's best devices and reliances are vain compared with God's, or without His aid (Pro 19:21; Psa 20:7; Psa 33:17).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Two companion proverbs. Nothing avails against, nothing without, God. The horse is the type of warlike strength, used chiefly or exclusively in battle. Kg1 4:26; Kg1 10:26-28, may be thought of as having given occasion to the latter of the two proverbs.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
If we further seek for the boundaries, the proverbs regarding the rich and the poor, Pro 22:2, Pro 22:7, Pro 22:16, present themselves as such, and this the more surely as Pro 22:16 is without contradiction the terminus. Thus we take first together 21:30-22:2. Pro 21:30 30 No wisdom and no understanding, And no counsel is there against Jahve. The expression might also be 'לפני ה; but the predominating sense would then be, that no wisdom appears to God as such, that He values none as such. With לנגד the proverb is more objective: there is no wisdom which, compared with His, can be regarded as such (cf. Co1 3:19), none which can boast itself against Him, or can at all avail against Him (לנגד, as Dan 10:12; Neh. 3:37); whence it follows (as Job 28:28) that the wisdom of man consists in the fear of God the Alone-wise, or, which is the same thing, the All-wise. Immanuel interprets חכמה of theology, תּבוּנה of worldly science, עצה of politics; but חכמה is used of the knowledge of truth, i.e., of that which truly is and continues; תבונה of criticism, and עצה of system and method; vid., at Pro 1:2; Pro 8:14, from which latter passage the lxx has substituted here גבורה instead of תבונה. Instead of 'לנגד ה it translates πρὸς τὸν ἀσεβῆ, i.e., for that which is 'נגד ה against Jahve. Pro 21:31 31 The horse is harnessed for the day of battle; But with Jahve is the victory, i.e., it remains with Him to give the victory or not, for the horse is a vain means of victory, Isa 33:17; the battle is the Lord's, Sa1 17:47, i.e., it depends on Him how the battle shall issue; and king and people who have taken up arms in defence of their rights have thus to trust nothing in the multitude of their war-horses (סוּס, horses, including their riders), and generally in their preparations for the battle, but in the Lord (cf. Psa 20:8, and, on the contrary, Isa 31:1). The lxx translates התּשׁוּעה by ἡ βοήθεια, as if the Arab. name of victory, naṣr, proceeding from this fundamental meaning, stood in the text; תשׁועה (from ישׁע, Arab. ws', to be wide, to have free space for motion) signifies properly prosperity, as the contrast of distress, oppression, slavery, and victory (cf. e.g., Psa 144:10, and ישׁוּעה, Sa1 14:45). The post-bibl. Heb. uses נצח (נצּחון) for victory; but the O.T. Heb. has no word more fully covering this idea than תשׁועה (ישׁועה). (Note: In the old High German, the word for war is urlag (urlac), fate, because the issue is the divine determination, and nt (as in "der Nibelunge Not"), as binding, confining, restraint; this nt is the correlate to תשׁועה, victory; מלחמה corresponds most to the French guerre, which is not of Romanic, but of German origin: the Werre, i.e., the Gewirre [complication, confusion], for נלחם signifies to press against one another, to be engaged in close conflict; cf. the Homeric κλόνος of the turmoil of battle.)

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

If we further seek for the boundaries, the proverbs regarding the rich and the poor, Pro 22:2, Pro 22:7, Pro 22:16, present themselves as such, and this the more surely as Pro 22:16 is without contradiction the terminus. Thus we take first together 21:30-22:2.

Pro 21:30

30 No wisdom and no understanding,

And no counsel is there against Jahve.

The expression might also be 'לפני ה; but the predominating sense would then be, that no wisdom appears to God as such, that He values none as such. With לנגד the proverb is more objective: there is no wisdom which, compared with His, can be regarded as such (cf. Co1 3:19), none which can boast itself against Him, or can at all avail against Him (לנגד, as Dan 10:12; Neh. 3:37); whence it follows (as Job 28:28) that the wisdom of man consists in the fear of God the Alone-wise, or, which is the same thing, the All-wise. Immanuel interprets חכמה of theology, תּבוּנה of worldly science, עצה of politics; but חכמה is used of the knowledge of truth, i.e., of that which truly is and continues; תבונה of criticism, and עצה of system and method; vid., at Pro 1:2; Pro 8:14, from which latter passage the lxx has substituted here גבורה instead of תבונה. Instead of 'לנגד ה it translates πρὸς τὸν ἀσεβῆ, i.e., for that which is 'נגד ה against Jahve.

Pro 21:31

31 The horse is harnessed for the day of battle;

But with Jahve is the victory,

i.e., it remains with Him to give the victory or not, for the horse is a vain means of victory, Isa 33:17; the battle is the Lord's, Sa1 17:47, i.e., it depends on Him how the battle shall issue; and king and people who have taken up arms in defence of their rights have thus to trust nothing in the multitude of their war-horses (סוּס, horses, including their riders), and generally in their preparations for the battle, but in the Lord (cf. Psa 20:8, and, on the contrary, Isa 31:1). The lxx translates התּשׁוּעה by ἡ βοήθεια, as if the Arab. name of victory, naṣr, proceeding from this fundamental meaning, stood in the text; תשׁועה (from ישׁע, Arab. ws', to be wide, to have free space for motion) signifies properly prosperity, as the contrast of distress, oppression, slavery, and victory (cf. e.g., Psa 144:10, and ישׁוּעה, Sa1 14:45). The post-bibl. Heb. uses נצח (נצּחון) for victory; but the O.T. Heb. has no word more fully covering this idea than תשׁועה (ישׁועה).

(Note: In the old High German, the word for war is urlag (urlac), fate, because the issue is the divine determination, and nt (as in "der Nibelunge Not"), as binding, confining, restraint; this nt is the correlate to תשׁועה, victory; מלחמה corresponds most to the French guerre, which is not of Romanic, but of German origin: the Werre, i.e., the Gewirre [complication, confusion], for נלחם signifies to press against one another, to be engaged in close conflict; cf. the Homeric κλόνος of the turmoil of battle.)

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¹⁷ An horse [05483] is a vain thing [08267] for safety [08668]: neither shall he deliver [04422] any by his great [07230] strength [02428].

⁷ Some trust in chariots [07393], and some in horses [05483]: but we will remember [02142] the name [08034] of the LORD [03068] our God [0430].

²¹ There are many [07227] devices [04284] in a man's [0376] heart [03820]; nevertheless the counsel [06098] of the LORD [03068], that shall stand [06965].

²⁶ And Solomon [08010] gathered together [0622] chariots [07393] and horsemen [06571]: and he had a thousand [0505] and four [0702] hundred [03967] chariots [07393], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], whom he bestowed [05148] in the cities [05892] for chariots [07393], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].
²⁷ And the king [04428] made [05414] silver [03701] to be in Jerusalem [03389] as stones [068], and cedars [0730] made [05414] he to be as the sycomore trees [08256] that are in the vale [08219], for abundance [07230].
²⁸ And Solomon [08010] had horses [05483] brought [04161] out of Egypt [04714], and linen yarn [04723]: the king's [04428] merchants [05503] received [03947] the linen yarn [04723] at a price [04242].

²⁶ And Solomon [08010] had forty [0705] thousand [0505] stalls [0723] of horses [05483] for his chariots [04817], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571].

⁴⁵ And the people [05971] said [0559] unto Saul [07586], Shall Jonathan [03129] die [04191], who hath wrought [06213] this great [01419] salvation [03444] in Israel [03478]? God forbid [02486]: as the LORD [03068] liveth [02416], there shall not one hair [08185] of his head [07218] fall [05307] to the ground [0776]; for he hath wrought [06213] with God [0430] this day [03117]. So the people [05971] rescued [06299] Jonathan [03129], that he died [04191] not.

¹⁰ It is he that giveth [05414] salvation [08668] unto kings [04428]: who delivereth [06475] David [01732] his servant [05650] from the hurtful [07451] sword [02719].

¹ Woe [01945] to them that go down [03381] to Egypt [04714] for help [05833]; and stay [08172] on horses [05483], and trust [0982] in chariots [07393], because they are many [07227]; and in horsemen [06571], because they are very [03966] strong [06105]; but they look [08159] not unto the Holy One [06918] of Israel [03478], neither seek [01875] the LORD [03068]!

⁸ They are brought down [03766] and fallen [05307]: but we are risen [06965], and stand upright [05749].

⁴⁷ And all this assembly [06951] shall know [03045] that the LORD [03068] saveth [03467] not with sword [02719] and spear [02595]: for the battle [04421] is the LORD'S [03068], and he will give [05414] you into our hands [03027].

¹⁷ Thine eyes [05869] shall see [02372] the king [04428] in his beauty [03308]: they shall behold [07200] the land [0776] that is very far off [04801].

³¹ The horse [05483] is prepared [03559] against the day [03117] of battle [04421]: but safety [08668] is of the LORD [03068].

¹⁴ Counsel [06098] is mine, and sound wisdom [08454]: I am understanding [0998]; I have strength [01369].

² To know [03045] wisdom [02451] and instruction [04148]; to perceive [0995] the words [0561] of understanding [0998];

²⁸ And unto man [0120] he said [0559], Behold, the fear [03374] of the Lord [0136], that is wisdom [02451]; and to depart [05493] from evil [07451] is understanding [0998].

¹² Then said [0559] he unto me, Fear [03372] not, Daniel [01840]: for from the first [07223] day [03117] that thou didst set [05414] thine heart [03820] to understand [0995], and to chasten [06031] thyself before [06440] thy God [0430], thy words [01697] were heard [08085], and I am come [0935] for thy words [01697].

¹⁹ For [1063] the wisdom [4678] of this [5127] world [2889] is [2076] foolishness [3472] with [3844] God [2316]. For [1063] it is written [1125], He taketh [1405] the wise [4680] in [1722] their own [846] craftiness [3834].

³⁰ There is no wisdom [02451] nor understanding [08394] nor counsel [06098] against the LORD [03068].

¹⁶ He that oppresseth [06231] the poor [01800] to increase [07235] his riches, and he that giveth [05414] to the rich [06223], shall surely come to want [04270].

⁷ The rich [06223] ruleth [04910] over the poor [07326], and the borrower [03867] is servant [05650] to the lender [0376] [03867].

² The rich [06223] and poor [07326] meet together [06298]: the LORD [03068] is the maker [06213] of them all.