Topical Bible: Horse: Symbolical

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In biblical literature, the horse is often used symbolically to convey various themes and messages. Throughout the Scriptures, horses are depicted as symbols of strength, power, and warfare, reflecting their historical role in ancient societies.

1. Strength and Power: Horses are frequently associated with strength and might. In the book of Job, the horse is described with vivid imagery that highlights its power and fearlessness: "Do you give strength to the horse or adorn his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?" (Job 39:19-20). This passage underscores the horse's natural vigor and the awe it inspires.

2. Warfare and Conquest: Horses are often linked to military might and conquest. In the prophetic visions of Zechariah, horses appear as instruments of divine judgment and warfare: "I looked up again and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful" (Zechariah 6:1-3). These horses symbolize the execution of God's sovereign plans across the earth.

3. Human Pride and Reliance on Military Power: The Bible also uses horses to caution against human pride and reliance on military strength. In Psalm 20:7, the psalmist contrasts trust in horses with trust in God: "Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" . This verse serves as a reminder that true security and victory come from the Lord, not from human military capabilities.

4. Judgment and Destruction: In the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation, horses are depicted as agents of divine judgment. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride on horses of different colors, each representing a different aspect of God's judgment upon the earth: conquest, war, famine, and death (Revelation 6:1-8). These symbolic horses convey the severity and inevitability of divine retribution.

5. Majesty and Triumph: In a more positive light, horses are also associated with majesty and triumph. In Revelation 19:11-16, Christ is depicted as a victorious rider on a white horse, symbolizing His ultimate triumph over evil: "Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war" (Revelation 19:11). This imagery emphasizes the majesty and authority of Christ as the conquering King.

Throughout the Bible, the horse serves as a powerful symbol, reflecting themes of strength, warfare, human pride, divine judgment, and ultimate victory. Its symbolic use underscores the broader spiritual truths conveyed in the biblical narrative.

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Zechariah 1:8
I saw by night, and behold a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.
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Revelation 6:2-8
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given to him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
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Revelation 9:17
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
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Revelation 19:11-21
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war.
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Library

From the Sixth Chapter.
... This is the pale horse. ... For both heaven and earth are called God's altar, as saith
the law, commanding in the symbolical form of the truth two altars to be made ...
/.../commentary on the apocolypse of the blessed john/from the sixth chapter.htm

The Use of the Symbolic Style by Poets and Philosophers.
... For the use of symbolical speech is ... And when, again, it is said in the ode, "For
He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He cast into the sea ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter viii the use of the.htm

Five Catechetical Lectures the Same Author,
... has his dominion also in darkness, therefore, looking with a symbolical meaning
towards ... of the devil is the madness of theatres [2367] , and horse-races, and ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/five catechetical lectures the same.htm

The Minne-Songs
... romances and histories of saints that were half mystical and symbolical, half legendary ...
and makes his escape carrying with him the armour and horse of the Red ...
/.../winkworth/christian singers of germany/the minne-songs.htm

New Testament History and Prophecy.
... events, then, that we must find the explanation of much of this symbolical language ...
The first seal opened shows a white horse bearing a rider who carries a bow ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter x new testament history.htm

The Coming of the King to his Palace
... Let us not forget the other picture, 'Behold, a white horse, and He that sat ... The
second characteristic, or we might say symbolical, act is the healing of the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the coming of the king.htm

The First vision "On Earth"
... [165] 8. And I saw, and behold, a livid horse, and he who ... It is impossible for us
to take this as symbolical; or as other than what it literally says. ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the first vision on earth.htm

Certain Prayers and Laws.
... in the eyes or feet of the birds or cats, or noises, or symbolical sounds: let ... If
any one follows the sports of the theatre, their huntings, or horse-races, or ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec iv certain prayers and laws.htm

The Schoolboy of Madaura
... Erect upon the high saddle of his horse, Augustin, who was to become a ... all the
intellectual part of Augustin's work finds its symbolical commentary here in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/v the schoolboy of madaura.htm

The Apocalypse.
... in general the conquests of Christ through his gospel; the red horse of the ... Israel
are sealed twelve thousand (chap.7:4-8), making for the symbolical number of ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxii the apocalypse.htm