the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Horse
Morrish Bible Dictionary
or 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 Hosea 14:3 . They had been forbidden to multiply horses, Deuteronomy 17:16; and at first they hamstrung the horses, and burnt the chariots of the Canaanites. Joshua 11:6,9 . David, however, after the defeat of Hadadezer, reserved 100 horses for chariots. 2 Samuel 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. 1 Kings 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. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 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. Revelation 6:1-8; cf. Revelation 9:7,9,17 . In Revelation 19 the Lord Jesus, the Faithful and True, comes forth on a white horse, to make war in righteousness. Revelation 19:11-21 . See REVELATION.
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Morrish, George. Entry for 'Horse'. Morrish Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/mbd/h/horse.html. 1897.
