סוּס

From the study of Isaiah 36:8

Range of meaning

Horse, especially the warhorse for chariot or cavalry. In Israelite thought horses were a symbol of royal military power and a known temptation to self-reliance.

Against the English

'Horses' is accurate. What it carried for the first hearers was a theological charge: Deut 17:16 forbids the king to multiply horses or send to Egypt for them, and Isaiah 30:16 and 31:1–3 condemn trust in Egyptian horses.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 20:7 'Some trust in chariots and some in horses'; Isa 31:1 'Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses'; Hos 14:3 'we will not ride on horses.'

From the study of Isaiah 38:14

Range of meaning

Sûs (a separate word from sûs, 'horse') is a small bird: swift or swallow in most modern lexicons (HALOT, 'swift'). ʿĀgûr is a bird named with it in Jeremiah 8:7, a passage about birds that 'keep the time of their coming', so it is migratory. The traditional rendering is 'crane'. Modern proposals include the thrush, the bulbul or the wryneck, but nothing is settled.

Against the English

KJV 'crane… swallow' (it swaps the Hebrew order). BSB/WEB/ESV 'swallow or crane'. NIV 'swift or thrush'. NLT 'swallow or a crane'. The 'or' is added: the Hebrew sets the two birds side by side with no joining word, and the Masoretic accents bind them closely, almost as one phrase.

How it drifted

'Crane' comes from older tradition (Jerome, the rabbis, the KJV). A real crane has a loud, trumpeting call, which does not fit the faint 'chirping' in the verb. So many modern translators prefer a small songbird. The identification is uncertain, and English readers should not build anything on 'crane'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jeremiah 8:7: 'the turtledove, swift (sus/ketiv sis) and ʿāgûr keep the time of their coming.' The Septuagint here has only 'swallow' (chelidōn). The Vulgate has 'the young of a swallow' (pullus hirundinis), apparently an attempt to make sense of the pair.

From the study of Proverbs 21:31

Range of meaning

Horse. In Israel and its neighbours the horse was almost only a military animal. It pulled chariots and later carried mounted troops. Donkeys and mules did the everyday work.

Against the English

English "horse" suggests riding, farm work or sport. In the Hebrew Bible a horse stands for state military power, much as tanks or fighter jets would today.

How it drifted

Modern readers live after centuries of horses being used for farming and travel, so the animal has lost its sense of military power.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 17:16 forbids the king to "multiply horses" or send to Egypt for them. 1 Kgs 10:26–29 describes Solomon's chariot cities and horse trade. Isa 31:1 says "woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses." Ps 20:7, Ps 33:17 and Hos 14:3 contrast horses with trusting God. Assyrian royal records list thousands of chariot horses as a measure of a king's strength.