Library Home
>
All Subjects
>
A Subjects
>
Armor; Armour
Armor; Armour
Subject download …
Download PDF
Print
Share on Facebook
Share on X (Twitter)
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
Download (892.2 KB)
None of
the
Hebrew
words translated “armor” refer definitely to
what
is understood now by armor worn on the
person
.
Saul
armed
David
with
his “armor” (
1 Sam. 17:38
38
And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. (1 Samuel 17:38)
), but
the word
used
is
also
translated “
clothes
,” and it may refer to Saul’s warrior-
dress
. The articles
named
are somewhat more definite.
1.
Saul
put
on David a
HELMET
of “
brass
.” These were raised a
little
above the
head
, as may be seen by
some
of the sculptures from
Nineveh
(
1 Sam. 17:38
38
And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. (1 Samuel 17:38)
;
Ezek. 23:24
24
And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. (Ezekiel 23:24)
); the word is
goba
. Another word,
koba
, meaning the same, is found in
1 Samuel 17:5
5
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. (1 Samuel 17:5)
;
2 Chronicles 26:14
14
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. (2 Chronicles 26:14)
;
Isaiah 59:17
17
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. (Isaiah 59:17)
;
Jeremiah 46:4
4
Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. (Jeremiah 46:4)
;
Ezek. 27:10
10
They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. (Ezekiel 27:10)
; and
Ezekiel 38:5
5
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: (Ezekiel 38:5)
.
2.
COAT
OF MAIL. Saul put on David a “Coat of Mail,”
shiryon
(
1 Sam. 17:5, 38
5
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. (1 Samuel 17:5)
38
And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. (1 Samuel 17:38)
).
This
word is translated
HABERGEON
in
2 Chronicles 26:14
14
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. (2 Chronicles 26:14)
and
Nehemiah 4:16,
16
And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. (Nehemiah 4:16)
which also signifies “coat of mail,” and
there
is a similar word in
Job 41:26
26
The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. (Job 41:26)
. It was made
of brass
scales fastened together. The
weight
of
Goliath
’s coat of mail was 5,000 shekels.
3.
GREAVES
. The
giant
wore Greaves of brass upon his legs (
1 Sam. 17:6
6
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. (1 Samuel 17:6)
). The word is
mitschah
, and occurs nowhere else.
4.
TARGET
. He had a target of brass between his shoulders (
1 Sam. 17:6
6
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. (1 Samuel 17:6)
): the word is
kidon
, and is elsewhere translated both “
shield
” and “
spear
.” In this case it was probably a small spear carried between the shoulders.
5.
SHIELD. A shield was carried before
him
. This was a tsinnah, a shield of large size to protect the whole body, with a large
boss
in the center rising to a point which could be used as a
weapon
. It is employed figuratively
for
God
’s protecting care of His people (
Psa. 5:12
12
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)
;
Psa. 91:4
4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4)
). The same word is translated
BUCKLER
(
Psa. 35:2
2
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. (Psalm 35:2)
;
Ezek. 23:24
24
And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. (Ezekiel 23:24)
;
Ezek. 26:8
8
He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. (Ezekiel 26:8)
).
Another word is used for a smaller shield,
magen
, and this is the word which occurs most commonly in the
Old
Testament
, especially in the
Psalms
, referring to God’s protection (
Psa. 28:7
7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Psalm 28:7)
;
Psa. 33:20
20
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20)
;
Psa. 84:11
11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)
;
Psa. 119:114
114
Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. (Psalm 119:114)
). The same word is translated BUCKLER (
2 Sam. 22:31
31
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. (2 Samuel 22:31)
;
1 Chron. 5:18
18
The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. (1 Chronicles 5:18)
;
Song of Sol. 4:4
4
Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. (Song of Solomon 4:4)
;
Jer. 46:3
3
Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle. (Jeremiah 46:3)
).
The word
shelet
is translated “shield,” but is also applied to shields of
gold
(
2 Sam. 8:7
7
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 8:7)
), and those suspended for
ornament
(
Ezek. 27:11
11
The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. (Ezekiel 27:11)
). It occurs also in
2 Kings 11:10
10
And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the Lord. (2 Kings 11:10)
;
1 Chronicles 18:7
7
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 18:7)
;
2 Chronicles 23:9
9
Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God. (2 Chronicles 23:9)
;
Song of
Solomon
4:4
4
Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. (Song of Solomon 4:4)
and
Jeremiah 51:11
11
Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple. (Jeremiah 51:11)
.
In the
New
Testament “armor” is used symbolically.
1.
ὅπλα, in contrast to “the
works
of
darkness
” we are exhorted to put on “the armor of
light
” (
Rom. 13:12
12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12)
).
Paul
and his
fellow
-laborers commended themselves as God’s ministers by the “armor, or
arms
, of
righteousness
on the
right
hand and on the left” (
2 Cor. 6:7
7
By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, (2 Corinthians 6:7)
).
2.
παναπλἰα, “whole armor.” One stronger than
Satan
takes away
all
his “armor” (
Luke 11:22
22
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. (Luke 11:22)
). The
Christian
is exhorted to put on the “whole armor of God,” the panoply, that he may stand in the
evil
day
in his conflict with the
spiritual
powers of
wickedness
in the heavenlies (
Eph. 6:11, 13
11
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
). See
BREASTPLATE
, HELMET, etc.
“251. Helmets Cuirasses” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
1 Samuel 17:5
5
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. (1 Samuel 17:5)
. He had an
helmet
of
brass
upon his
head
, and he was armed with a
coat
of mail.
1. In the earliest
times
helmets were made of osier or rushes, and were in the form of
bee
-hives or skull-caps. The skins of the heads of animals were
sometimes
used. Various other materials were employed at different times. The ancient Egyptian helmet was usually made of
linen
cloth
quilted. It was thick and well padded, sometimes coming down to the
shoulder
, and sometimes only a little below the
ear
. The cloth used was colored green, or red, or
black
. The helmet had no crest, but the summit was an obtuse point ornamented with two tassels. The
Assyrian
helmet was a cap of
iron
terminating above in a point, and sometimes furnished with flaps, covered with metal scales and protecting the neck. The Philistine helmet, as represented on ancient
monuments
, was of unique form. From the head-band there arose curved lines, by which the outline of the helmet was hollowed on the sides and rounded on top.
Goliath
’s helmet was doubtless of this shape, and, being made of brass, must have presented a beautiful appearance. The form of the
Hebrew
helmets is unknown; but they probably did not vary widely from the Egyptian. As is seen in verse 38 they were sometimes made of brass. The helmet is also mentioned in
2 Chronicles 26:14
14
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. (2 Chronicles 26:14)
;
Jeremiah 46:4
4
Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. (Jeremiah 46:4)
;
Ezekiel 23:24; 27:10; 38:5
24
And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. (Ezekiel 23:24)
10
They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. (Ezekiel 27:10)
5
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: (Ezekiel 38:5)
.
2. For the body, the skins of bents were probably the earliest protection in battle. Felt or quilted linen was also used subsequently. The ancient
Egyptians
had horizontal rows of metal plates well secured by brass pins. The ancient Assyrians had scales of iron fastened on felt or linen. Iron rings closely locked together were likewise used by different nations. Scales made of small pieces of
horn
or hoof were also used. Sometimes a very serviceable
armor
was made of small plates of metal, each having a button and a slit, fitting into the corresponding slit and button of the plate next to it. It is supposed that
Ahab
had on armor of this sort when he was slain; the “joints of the
harness
” being the grooves or slits in the metallic plates, or the place between, where they did not overlap (
1 Kings 22:34
34
And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. (1 Kings 22:34)
;
2 Chron. 18:33
33
And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. (2 Chronicles 18:33)
). Goliath’s “coat of mail” was scale armor (shiryon kaskassim, “armor of scales”). This kind of armor consisted of metallic scales rounded at the bottom and squared at the top, and sewed on linen or felt. The Philistine corselet covered the chest only. On the bas-relief at
Nineveh
are seen warriors with coats of scale armor which descend to the knees or ankles. In one of the palaces Mr. Layard discovered a number of the scales used for this armor. Each scale was of iron two to
three
inches long, rounded at one end and squared at the other, with a raised or embossed line in the center, and some were inlaid with
copper
. At a later period the Assyrian armor was made of smaller scales, which were pointed and ornamented with raised figures, and the coat of mail reached no lower than the waist.
In several passages shiryon is rendered in our version “
habergeon
.” See
2 Chronicles 26:14
14
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. (2 Chronicles 26:14)
;
Nehemiah 4:16
16
And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. (Nehemiah 4:16)
.
The lorica of the Romans end the thorax of the Greeks—rendered “
breastplate
” in
Ephesians 6:14
14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (Ephesians 6:14)
and
1 Thessalonians 5:8
8
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
—were scale armor covering breast and back.
“252. Greaves Javelin” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
1 Samuel 17:6
6
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. (1 Samuel 17:6)
. He had
greaves
of
brass
upon his legs, and a
target
of brass between his shoulders.
1. Greaves were coverings for the legs. There are none represented on the Egyptian
monuments
, but they are seen on the
Assyrian
sculptures. They were of
leather
,
wood
, or, as in the case of
Goliath
, of brass, and were bound by thongs around the calves and above the ankles.
2. Kidon, here rendered “target,” is translated by
the word
“
shield
” in verse 45 of this chapter, and in
Job 39:23
23
The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. (Job 39:23)
; “spear” in
Joshua 8:18, 26
18
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. (Joshua 8:18)
26
For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. (Joshua 8:26)
;
Job 41:29
29
Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. (Job 41:29)
;
Jeremiah 6:23
23
They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion. (Jeremiah 6:23)
; and “
lance
” in
Jeremiah 50:42
42
They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not show mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon. (Jeremiah 50:42)
. It was probably a
light
javelin
, which could be easily hurled at an enemy. Some suppose it to have been decorated with a
flag
, like the lances of the Polish lancers. It would seem from this verse that when not in actual use it was carried on the back; for this is the meaning of “between the shoulders.” It was probably slung across he shoulders by means of a leathern strap.
“253. Spear Large Shield.” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
1 Samuel 17:7
7
And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. (1 Samuel 17:7)
The staff of his spear was like a
weaver
’s beam; and his spear’s
head
weighed
six
hundred shekels of
iron
: and one bearing a
shield
went before him.
1. The chanith, “spear,” was a heavier weapon than the kidon. See preceding note.
The word
is rendered both “spear,” and “
javelin
.” It was the chanith with which
Saul
endeavored to strike
David
(
1 Sam. 18:10-11; 19:9-10
10
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
11
And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. (1 Samuel 18:10‑11)
9
And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10
And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. (1 Samuel 19:9‑10)
) and which at another
time
he aimed at
Jonathan
(
1 Sam. 20:33
33
And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. (1 Samuel 20:33)
). This heavy spear had at its lower extremity a point by which it could be stuck into the ground. It was in this way that the position of Saul was
naked
while he lay sleeping in the
camp
at
Hachilah
, his spear being his
standard
(
1 Sam. 26:7
7
So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. (1 Samuel 26:7)
). This lower point of the spear was almost as formidable as the head. The
Arab
riders of today
sometimes
use it to strike backward at pursuers, and it was with this “hinder end of the spear” that
Abner
killed
Asahel
(
2 Sam. 2:23
23
Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. (2 Samuel 2:23)
). The size of
Goliath
’s chanith, is expressed by the description of the staff and of the head; the latter being of iron, in contrast to the
brass
head of his kidon, and to his brazen
helmet
, cuirass, and
greaves
. See also note on
Jeremiah 46:4
4
Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. (Jeremiah 46:4)
(#555).
2. The tsinnah, “shield,” was the largest kind of shield, and was designed to protect the whole body. This shield, as represented on the Egyptian
monuments
, was about five feet high, with a pointed
arch
above and square below. The great shield of the Assyrians, as is shown by their sculptures, was taller, and of an oblong shape, and sometimes had at the top an inward curve. The large shields were generally made of wicker work or of
light
wood
covered with hides. They were grasped by a handle of wood or of
leather
. Goliath had
man
to
bear
his great shield before him. In the
Assyrian
sculptures there are representations of warriors fighting in this manner, with men before them holding the large shields, with the bottom resting on the ground, thus forming movable breastworks. The great shields of the
Philistines
seem to have been of circular shape.
The beauty of the
figure
used in
Psalm 5:12
12
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)
is heightened by the fact that the tsinnah is the shield there spoken of. The
Lord
uses the great
buckler
for the protection of his people.
Related Books and Articles:
253. Spear Large Shield.
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
251. Helmets Cuirasses
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
252. Greaves Javelin
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
The Conflict: Ephesians 6:10-20
From:
The Epistle to the Ephesians
By:
Hamilton Smith
Notes on Ephesians 6:10-20
From:
Present Testimony: Volume 11, 1860
Remarks on Ephesians 6:13-17
From:
Bible Treasury: Volume 5
By:
William Kelly
Show More Sources
Ephesians 6:13-17, Remarks on
From:
Ephesians, Lectures on the Epistle to the
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Authors
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
All Authors
Bibles
Books
All Books and eBooks
Commentaries
Hymnbooks
Magazines
Reference
Stories & Bios
Subjects
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
All Subjects
Bible Truth Study Bible
Español (Spanish)
More
All Articles
Audio
Charts
Conferences & Events
Hymnbooks
Illustrations & Quotes
Maps
Magazines
Poetry
Sunday School
Store