Arms

Narrator: Chris Genthree

• 2 min. read • grade level: 8

The offensive arms found in the Old Testament are

1. The SWORD, for which several Hebrew words are used:

1. barag, often translated “lightning”; it is “glittering sword” in Job 20:25²⁵It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him. (Job 20:25).

2. chereb, a sword, as laying waste. It is the word commonly used in the Old Testament for sword (everywhere indeed except in the references given here under the other words): it was a straight tapering weapon, with two edges and a sharp point (Psalm 149:6⁶Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; (Psalm 149:6); Isa. 14:19¹⁹But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. (Isaiah 14:19)). It is used metaphorically for keen and piercing words, as in Psalm 57:4⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. (Psalm 57:4) and Psalm 64:3³Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: (Psalm 64:3).

3. retsach, an undefined slaying weapon, translated “sword” only in Psalm 42:10¹⁰As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? (Psalm 42:10).

4. shelach, a missile of death, as a dart (Job 33:18¹⁸He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. (Job 33:18); Job 36:12¹²But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. (Job 36:12); Joel 2:8⁸Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. (Joel 2:8)).

5. pethichoth, from “to open,” is translated “drawn sword” in Psalm 55:21²¹The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. (Psalm 55:21).

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2. SPEARS.

1. chanith, thus named as being flexible: it is the word mostly used for the spear (1 Sam. 13:19¹⁹Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: (1 Samuel 13:19); Psalm 57:4⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. (Psalm 57:4)). It is this weapon that will be beaten into pruning hooks (Isa. 2:4⁴And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4); Mic. 4:3³And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Micah 4:3)).

2. kidon, a smaller kind of lance, or javelin (Josh. 8:18, 26¹⁸And 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)
²⁶For 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 41:29²⁹Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. (Job 41:29); Jer. 6:23²³They 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)).

3. tselatsal, harpoon (Job 41:7⁷Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? (Job 41:7)).

4. qayin, lance (2 Sam. 21:16¹⁶And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. (2 Samuel 21:16)).

5. romach, spear used by heavy-armed troops, the iron head of a spear (Judg. 5:8⁸They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? (Judges 5:8)). The pruning hooks are to be beaten into spears in the time of God’s judgments (Joel 3:10¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. (Joel 3:10)).

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Bows

3. BOW, from which arrows are discharged, gesheth, generally made of wood, but sometimes of steel or brass (Job 20:24²⁴He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through. (Job 20:24)). It is constantly found in the Old Testament from Genesis to Zechariah. It is used to express punishment from God (Lam. 2:4⁴He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire. (Lamentations 2:4); Lam. 3:12¹²He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. (Lamentations 3:12)); and of men to show their power to injure (Psalm 37:14- 15¹⁴The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. ¹⁵Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. (Psalm 37:14‑15)). “A deceitful bow” expresses a man who fails just when his aid is most needed, as when a bow breaks suddenly (Psa. 78:57⁵⁷But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. (Psalm 78:57); Hos. 7:16¹⁶They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. (Hosea 7:16)).

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A shepherd boy using a sling.

4. The SLING, by which stones are discharged, Bela. It was by means of this that David smote Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40, 49-50⁴⁰And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:40)
⁴⁹And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. ⁵⁰So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. (1 Samuel 17:49‑50)). Of the Benjamites there were 700 men lefthanded; “every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss” (Judg. 20:16¹⁶Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. (Judges 20:16)). (In Proverbs 26:8⁸As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honor to a fool. (Proverbs 26:8) occurs another word for sling, margemah, but the passage is considered better translated “as he that putteth a precious stone in a heap of stones,” as in the margin.)

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Catapult

5. “ENGINES,” with which Uzziah shot arrows and great stones (2 Chron. 26:15¹⁵And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. (2 Chronicles 26:15)).

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• Arms

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Arms

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