Lexical Summary
cuwc: Horse
Original Word:סוּס
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:cuwc
Pronunciation:soos
Phonetic Spelling:(soos)
KJV: crane, horse((-back, -hoof))
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to skip (properly, for joy)]
1. a horse (as leaping)
2. also a swallow (from its rapid flight)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
crane, horseback,
Or cuc {soos}; from an unused root meaning to skip (properly, for joy); a horse (as leaping); also a swallow (from its rapid flight) -- crane, horse((-back, -hoof)). Compareparash.
see HEBREWparash
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (
cypselus, Tristr
FFP 82 ff.) (
Isaiah 38:14); — as twittering
Isaiah 38:14 (in simile); ,
pullus hirundinis;; so
Jeremiah 8:7 Kt (Qr wrongly; perhaps to distinguish from following, so Gie),
id.,
hirundo.
II.138Exodus 15:1 (Late Hebrew , Aramaic
Mandean , Sinaiticid., Lzb328; Assyriansisû (sisû ?) DlHWB 506; Tel Amarnasu-u[su] WklTA.191, 24; probably foreign word compare NöM 147 ErmanÄgypten 649; English tr. 490); — absolute1 Kings 20:20 +; constructExodus 15:19 +; pluralGenesis 47:17 +,2 Samuel 15:1; construct2 Kings 2:11; suffix1 Kings 22:4;2 Kings 3:7.Micah 5:9 + 4t.,Isaiah 5:28 +,Amos 4:10,Joshua 11:6+; —horse:
non-Israel;chariot-horses of CanaanitesJudges 5:22 (compareJudges 5:28;Judges 4:3,13; ; collective, as often),Joshua 11:4,6,9 (JE);horses as property of EgyptiansGenesis 47:17;Exodus 9:3 (both J), compareZechariah 14:15; merchandise of TyreEzekiel 27:14;chariot-horses of Egypt [compare Hom11.ix.384],Exodus 14:9,23 (Psalms),Exodus 15:1,21 (poem),Exodus 15:19 (Psalms; on all see Di),Deuteronomy 11:4;Isaiah 31:1,3;Jeremiah 46:4,9;Ezekiel 17:15; of Aram1 Kings 20:1 11t. Kings (1 Kings 20:20ridden, for flight), AssyriansIsaiah 5:28 3t., ChaldeansJeremiah 4:13 6t.; other nationsNahum 3:2;Jeremiah 50:42 5t.; as ridden1 Kings 20:20 (see above),Jeremiah 8:23;Ezekiel 38:4,15 13t. (late).
in Israel; chariot-horses of Absalom2 Samuel 15:1, especially of Solomon, and later,1 Kings 5:6;1 Kings 5:8;1 Kings 10:25,28,29, and "" Chronicles;1 Kings 18:5 and .(as war-equipment)1 Kings 22:4;2 Kings 3:7;2 Kings 9:33;2 Kings 10:2;Proverbs 21:31;2 Kings 2:11 (Elijah), compare2 Kings 6:17; consecration to sun2 Kings 23:11 (compare RSSemitic 275; 2nd ed. 293); sign of luxury and apostasyAmos 4:10;Hosea 1:7;Hosea 14:4;Isaiah 2:7;Micah 5:9;Zechariah 9:10, compareDeuteronomy 17:6,16, but seeZechariah 14:20; in visionZechariah 6:2 (twice in verse);Zechariah 6:3 (twice in verse);Zechariah 6:6; ridden2 Kings 9:18,19;2 Kings 18:23 =Isaiah 36:8;Amos 2:15 4t. Isaiah Jeremiah; in visionZechariah 1:8 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 31:40;Nehemiah 3:28, compare2 Kings 11:16 2Chronicles 23:15; belongings of returned exilesEzra 2:56 =Nehemiah 7:68 van d. H. (omitted by Masora Baer Ginsb q. v.); description of horseJob 39:19; in various simile and figurativeAmos 6:12;Jeremiah 5:8;Jeremiah 8:6;Jeremiah 12:5;Ezekiel 23:20;Isaiah 63:13;Joel 2:4;Proverbs 27:3;Psalm 32:9;Psalm 147:10.
chariot-horses ofHabakkuk 3:15 (figurative of clouds), compareZechariah 10:3. — compare also , and , .
Topical Lexicon
Occurrence and DistributionThe noun סוּס (“horse”) appears about 139 times across the Old Testament narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophetic and post-exilic books. Concentrations cluster in the Exodus narrative (Exodus 14–15), the united monarchy (1 Kings, 2 Chronicles), wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs), and the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah). The distribution highlights the horse’s place in Israel’s formative deliverance, national expansion, and corrective prophecy.
Natural History and Domestic Use
Horses are first mentioned in Egypt (Genesis 47:17) where Joseph exchanged grain for “horses and flocks.” They were imported into Canaan, not bred there in significant numbers until Solomon’s era (1 Kings 10:26–29). Archaeology confirms royal stables at Megiddo and Hazor dating to the tenth–ninth centuries BC, consistent with the biblical record. The animal is often paired with “chariot,” implying military deployment more than agriculture.Nehemiah 3:28 places them near “the Horse Gate” of Jerusalem—an urban feature associated with royal cavalry.
Military and Political Role
Militarily, the horse represents mobility, speed, and intimidation. Pharaoh’s elite cavalry pursue Israel to the Red Sea (Exodus 14:9), yet are overwhelmed when “Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and horsemen went into the sea” (Exodus 15:19). Later monarchs sought the same strategic advantage. Solomon multiplied horses in contravention ofDeuteronomy 17:16, importing them from Egypt and Kue (1 Kings 10:28–29). Subsequent kings—Ahaz, Hezekiah, Josiah—either relied on or removed royal horses according to their covenant faithfulness (2 Kings 23:11). International treaties often stipulated horse supplies (2 Kings 18:23;Ezekiel 27:14), underscoring their diplomatic currency.
Symbol of Power and Pride
Because horses embodied human strength, Scripture repeatedly contrasts trust in cavalry with trust in the LORD.
• “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).
• “A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31).
• Isaiah rebukes Judah: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses” (Isaiah 31:1).
The pattern is consistent: human reliance on horses signals self-reliance, whereas deliverance ultimately comes from God.
Descriptive Imagery of Speed, Beauty, and Strength
Job 39:19–25 provides the most vivid zoological portrait. God challenges Job: “Do you give the horse his strength? … He laughs at fear.” The warhorse’s nostrils, mane, and thundering hooves dramatize the Creator’s unmatched wisdom. Song of Songs employs equine imagery to praise beauty: “I liken you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots” (Song of Songs 1:9). InZechariah 10:3 the LORD’s flock becomes “like a majestic horse in battle,” portraying transformed weakness into strength.
Horse in Worship and Idolatry
Josiah “removed from the entrance of the temple of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun” (2 Kings 23:11). These cultic animals, kept “near the chamber of Nathan-Melech,” show how royal prestige could be co-opted into syncretistic worship. The reform underscores covenant purity: even stately animals cannot be allowed to subvert true worship.
Prophetic and Apocalyptic Perspectives
Prophets employ horses to describe invading armies (Jeremiah 4:13;Joel 2:4) or divine intervention (Habakkuk 3:8, 15). Zechariah’s colored horses (Zechariah 1:8; 6:1–8) patrol the earth at God’s command, revealing His sovereign surveillance. While Revelation uses Greek ἵππος, the Johannine vision (Revelation 6; 19) leans on Old Testament precedent: horses surge forth under divine seal judgments and the returning Christ rides “a white horse,” reversing the misuse of cavalry by fallen empires.
Messianic Foreshadowing and Reversal
Zechariah 9:9 prophesies Messiah entering Jerusalem “lowly and riding on a donkey”—a deliberate contrast to warhorses. The Gospels (Matthew 21:5;John 12:15) show Jesus fulfilling this, signaling peace and humility over martial might. Yet the same Messiah later appears on a heavenly warhorse (Revelation 19:11), unifying meekness and majesty. The horse thus frames both the rejection of worldly power and the final assertion of divine rule.
Theological and Ministry Reflections
1. Dependence on God: The prevalence of “horse” warns against misplaced confidence (Psalm 33:17). Ministries must guard against substituting contemporary “horses”—technology, budgets, politics—for reliance on the Spirit.
2. Spiritual Warfare:Ephesians 6 employs armor imagery akin to cavalry equipment. While believers do not literally mount steeds, they engage in battle with gospel readiness “fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.”
3. Discipleship and Humility: Jesus’ donkey ride instructs leaders to serve humbly despite access to power.
4. Stewardship: Solomon’s accumulation exposes the snares of excess. Churches and families are called to exercise restraint, remembering that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).
5. Hope in Final Victory: Zechariah and Revelation’s divine cavalry assure believers that the Lord controls history and will definitively conquer evil.
Key Passages for Study
Exodus 14:9; 15:19
Deuteronomy 17:16
1 Kings 4:26; 10:26–29
2 Chronicles 1:14–17
Psalm 20:7; 33:17
Proverbs 21:31
Isaiah 31:1, 3
Jeremiah 4:13; 12:5
Job 39:19–25
Zechariah 1:8–11; 9:9; 10:3; 12:4
Song of Songs 1:9
Habakkuk 3:8, 15
Summary
The horse in Scripture embodies two competing trajectories: a tangible provision that can aid divinely sanctioned governance, and a potential idol that lures hearts away from the Lord. Its narrative arc—from Pharaoh’s drowned cavalry, through Israel’s temptation to trust in horsepower, to the conquering Christ astride the white horse—underscores the consistent biblical theme that salvation, judgment, and ultimate victory belong to God alone.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּס֛וּס בְּסוּסִ֖ים בַּסּוּסִ֗ים בַּסּוּסִ֜ים בַּסּוּסִ֡ים בַּסּוּסִ֤ים בַסּוּסִ֑ים בְּסוּסָ֣יו בסוס בסוסיו בסוסים הַ֭סּוּס הַסּ֔וּס הַסּ֖וּס הַסּ֗וּס הַסּ֜וּס הַסּ֣וּס הַסּ֤וּס הַסּוּס֙ הַסּוּסִ֑ים הַסּוּסִ֖ים הַסּוּסִ֗ים הַסּוּסִ֛ים הַסּוּסִ֣ים הַסּוּסִים֙ הַסּוּסִים֮ הסוס הסוסים וְהַסּ֗וּס וְהַסּוּסִ֔ים וְס֖וּס וְס֗וּס וְס֣וּס וְס֣וּסֵי וְס֥וּס וְסִיס֙ וְסֻסִ֑ים וְסוּס֙ וְסוּסֵיהֶ֥ם וָס֖וּס וָסֽוּס׃ וּבַסּוּסִ֔ים וּבַסּוּסִ֗ים ובסוסים והסוס והסוסים וסוס וסוס׃ וסוסי וסוסיהם וסיס וססים כְּס֤וּס כְּס֥וּס כְּסוּסֶֽיךָ׃ כְּסוּסַ֥י כַּסּ֣וּס ׀ כַּסּ֥וּס כסוס כסוסי כסוסיך׃ לְסוּסָ֣יו לַ֝סּ֗וּס לַ֭סּוּס לַסּ֣וּס לַסּוּסִ֖ים לסוס לסוסיו לסוסים ס֑וּס ס֔וּס ס֖וּס ס֗וּס ס֣וּס ס֤וּס ס֥וּס ס֨וּס סֽוּסֵיהֶם֙ סֽוּסֵיכֶ֑ם סוּס֙ סוּס֮ סוּסִ֑ים סוּסִ֔ים סוּסִ֖ים סוּסִ֣ים סוּסִ֤ים סוּסִ֥ים סוּסִ֧ים סוּסִֽים׃ סוּסִים֒ סוּסִים֙ סוּסֵיהֶ֕ם סוּסֵיהֶ֣ם סוּסֶ֑יךָ סוּסֶ֔יךָ סוּסֶ֖יךָ סוּסָ֑יו סוּסָ֔יו סוּסָ֖יו סוּסָ֗יו סוּסָ֣יו סוּסָיו֙ סוס סוסיהם סוסיו סוסיך סוסיכם סוסים סוסים׃ bas·sū·sîm ḇas·sū·sîm bassuSim bassūsîm ḇassūsîm bə·sū·sāw bə·sū·sîm bə·sūs beSus bəsūs besuSav bəsūsāw besuSim bəsūsîm has·sū·sîm has·sūs hasSus hassūs hassuSim hassūsîm kas·sūs kasSus kassūs kə·sū·say kə·sū·se·ḵā kə·sūs keSus kəsūs kesuSai kəsūsay kesuSeicha kəsūseḵā las·sū·sîm las·sūs lasSus lassūs lassuSim lassūsîm lə·sū·sāw lesuSav ləsūsāw sū·sāw sū·sê·hem sū·se·ḵā sū·sê·ḵem sū·sîm Sus sūs suSav sūsāw sūsêhem suSeicha suseiChem suseiHem sūseḵā sūsêḵem suSim sūsîm ū·ḇas·sū·sîm ūḇassūsîm uvassuSim vassuSim vaSus vehasSus vehassuSim veSis veSus veSusei vesuseiHem vesuSim wā·sūs wāsūs wə·has·sū·sîm wə·has·sūs wə·sîs wə·sū·sê wə·sū·sê·hem wə·su·sîm wə·sūs wəhassūs wəhassūsîm wəsîs wəsūs wəsūsê wəsūsêhem wəsusîm
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