Reference: Armour
Easton
is employed in the English Bible to denote military equipment, both offensive and defensive.
(1.) The offensive weapons were different at different periods of history. The "rod of iron" (Ps 2:9) is supposed to mean a mace or crowbar, an instrument of great power when used by a strong arm. The "maul" (Pr 25:18; cognate Hebrew word rendered "battle-axe" in Jer 51:20, and "slaughter weapon" in Eze 9:2) was a war-hammer or martel. The "sword" is the usual translation of hereb, which properly means "poniard." The real sword, as well as the dirk-sword (which was always double-edged), was also used (1Sa 17:39; 2Sa 20:8; 1Ki 20:11). The spear was another offensive weapon (Jos 8:18; 1Sa 17:7). The javelin was used by light troops (Nu 25:7-8; 1Sa 13:22). Saul threw a javelin at David (1Sa 19:9-10), and so virtually absolved him from his allegiance. The bow was, however, the chief weapon of offence. The arrows were carried in a quiver, the bow being always unbent till the moment of action (Ge 27:3; 48:22; Ps 18:34). The sling was a favourite weapon of the Benjamites (1Sa 17:40; 1Ch 12:2. Comp. 1Sa 25:29).
(2.) Of the defensive armour a chief place is assigned to the shield or buckler. There were the great shield or target (the tzinnah), for the protection of the whole person (Ge 15:1; Ps 47:9; 1Sa 17:7; Pr 30:5), and the buckler (Heb. mageen) or small shield (1Ki 10:17; Eze 26:8). In Ps 91:4 "buckler" is properly a roundel appropriated to archers or slingers. The helmet (Eze 27:10; 1Sa 17:38), a covering for the head; the coat of mail or corselet (1Sa 17:5), or habergeon (Ne 4; 13:31), harness or breat-plate (Re 9:9), for the covering of the back and breast and both upper arms (Isa 59:17; Eph 6:14). The cuirass and corselet, composed of leather or quilted cloth, were also for the covering of the body. Greaves, for the covering of the legs, were worn in the time of David (1Sa 17:6). Reference is made by Paul (Eph 6:14-17) to the panoply of a Roman soldier. The shield here is the thureon, a door-like oblong shield above all, i.e., covering the whole person, not the small round shield. There is no armour for the back, but only for the front.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
After these things, came the word of Yahweh unto Abram, in a vision saying, - Do not fear Abram, am a shield to thee, thine exceeding great reward.
Now, therefore, take I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and catch for me game;
But, I, have given to thee one mountain-track above thy brethren, - which I took out of the hand of the Amorite, with my sword and with my bow.
And Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest saw it, so he rose up out of the midst of the assembly, and took a spear in his hand; and went in after the man of Israel into the pleasure-tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, in her parts of shame, - so the plague was restrained from against the sons of Israel.
Then said Yahweh unto Joshua - Stretch out with the javelin which is in thy hand, towards Ai, for, into thy hand, will I deliver it. So Joshua stretched out with the javelin which was in his hand, towards the city.
with a helmet of bronze on his head, and, with a scaly coat of mail, was he clad, - the weight of the coat, being five thousand shekels of bronze; and, greaves of bronze, on his feet, - and, a javelin of bronze, between his shoulders;
And David girded his sword above his military coat, but was reluctant to go, for he had not proved them, - so David said unto Saul - I cannot go in these, for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. Then took he his stick in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the torrent-bed, and put them in the shepherd's-pouch which he had - even in the wallet, and had his sling in his hand, - and so drew near unto the Philistine.
then came there a sad spirit of Yahweh unto Saul, he being in his house, seated, with his spear in his hand, - while, David, played with his hand, Saul sought to smite David with the spear, even to the wall, but he slipped away from before Saul, who smote the spear into the wall, - whereas, David, fled and escaped, that night.
yea, though there hath arisen a sun of earth to pursue thee, and to seek thy life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of the living, with Yahweh thy God, but, as for the life of thine enemies, he shall sling it out with the middle of the hollow of the sling.
and three hundred bucklers, of beaten gold, one hundred and fifty shekels of gold, laid he upon one buckler, - and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Thou shalt shepherd them with a sceptre of iron, - as a potter's vessel, shalt thou dash them in pieces.
Teaching my hands to war, - so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms.
The willing-hearted of the peoples, have gathered themselves together, The people of the God of Abraham; For, to God, belong the shields of the earth, Greatly is he exalted.
With his pinion, will he cover thee, And, under his wings, shalt thou seek refuge, A shield and buckler, is his faithfulness.
A hammer and a sword, and a sharpened arrow, is a man becoming a false witness against his neighbour.
Every saying of God is refined, A shield, is, he, to them who seek refuge in him.
And he put on Righteousness as a coat of mail, And a helmet of victory upon his head, - And he put on the garments of avenging, for clothing, And wrapped about him as a cloak - jealousy,
A war-club, art thou for me, Weapons of war; Therefore will I Beat down with thee - nations, and Destroy with thee - kingdoms;
And lo! six men coming in out of the way of the upper gate which looketh toward the north even every man with his destructive weapon in his hand, and one man in their midst clothed with linen, having a scribes ink holder by his side, - so they came in and stood beside the altar of bronze.
Thy daughters in the field - with the sword, shall he slay,- And shall set against thee a siege-wall And cast up against thee an earthwork, And set up against thee a large shield;
They of Persia and Lud and Phut were in thine army, Thy men of war, - Shield and helmet, hung they up within thee, They set forth thy splendour:
Stand therefore, - having girded your loins with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Stand therefore, - having girded your loins with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness, And shod your feet with the readiness of the glad-message of peace; read more. With all, having taken up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall have power, all the ignited darts of the wicked one, to quench; And, the helmet of salvation, welcome ye, and the sword of the spirit, which is what God hath spoken,
and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and, the sound of their wings, was as the sound of chariots of many horses, running into battle;
Morish
None of the Hebrew words translated 'armour' refer definitely to what is understood now by armour worn on the person. Saul armed David with his 'armour,' 1Sa 17:38, but the word used is also translated 'clothes,' etc., 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. 1Sa 17:38; Eze 23:24: the word is qoba. Another word, koba, meaning the same, is found in 1Sa 17:5; 2Ch 26:14; Isa 59:17; Jer 46:4; Eze 27:10; 38:5.
2. COAT OF MAIL. Saul put on David a 'Coat of Mail,' shiryon. 1Sa 17:5,38. This word is translated 'HABERGEON ' in 2Ch 26:14; Ne 4:16, which also signifies 'coat of mail,' and there is a similar word in 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. 1Sa 17:6. The word is mitschah, and occurs nowhere else.
4. TARGET. He had a Target of brass between his shoulders, 1Sa 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 centre rising to a point which could be used as a weapon. It is employed figuratively for God's protecting care of His people. Ps 5:12; 91:4. The same word is translated BUCKLER. Ps 35:2; Eze 23:24; 26:8, etc.
Another word is used for a smaller shield, magen, and this is the word which occurs most commonly in the O.T., especially in the Psalms, referring to God's protection, as Ps 28:7; 33:20; 84:11; 119:114, etc. The same word is translated BUCKLER. 2Sa 22:31; 1Ch 5:18; Cant. 4:4; Jer 46:3, etc.
The word shelet is translated Shield, but is also applied to Shields of gold, 2Sa 8:7, and those suspended for ornament. Eze 27:11. It occurs also in 2Ki 11:10; 1Ch 18:7; 2Ch 23:9; Cant. 4:4; Jer 51:11.
In the N.T. 'armour' is used symbolically.
1. ???? in contrast to 'the works of darkness' we are exhorted to put on 'the armour of light.' Ro 13:12. Paul and his fellow-labourers commended themselves as God's ministers by the "armour, or arms, of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." 2Co 6:7.
2. ????????, 'whole armour.' One stronger than Satan takes away all his 'armour.' Lu 11:22. The Christian is exhorted to put on the 'whole armour 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. See BREASTPLATE, HELMET, etc.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
with a helmet of bronze on his head, and, with a scaly coat of mail, was he clad, - the weight of the coat, being five thousand shekels of bronze;
with a helmet of bronze on his head, and, with a scaly coat of mail, was he clad, - the weight of the coat, being five thousand shekels of bronze; and, greaves of bronze, on his feet, - and, a javelin of bronze, between his shoulders;
and, greaves of bronze, on his feet, - and, a javelin of bronze, between his shoulders;
And Saul clad David with his own military coat, and set a helmet of bronze upon his head, - and clad him with a coat of mail.
And Saul clad David with his own military coat, and set a helmet of bronze upon his head, - and clad him with a coat of mail.
And Saul clad David with his own military coat, and set a helmet of bronze upon his head, - and clad him with a coat of mail.
And David took the shields of gold which had come to the servants of Hadadezer, - and brought them to Jerusalem;
As for God, blameless is his way, - the speech of Yahweh, hath been proved, a shield, he is to all who seek refuge in him.
And the priest gave unto the captains of hundreds the spears and the shields which belonged to King David, - which were in the house of Yahweh.
And Uzziah prepared for them, for all the host, bucklers and spears and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, - and yea even sling-stones.
And it came to pass, from that day, the half of my young men, were working in the work, and, the half of them, were grasping the spears, the bucklers, and the bows, and the coats of mail, - but, the rulers, were behind all the house of Judah.
For, thou, wilt bless the righteous man, O Yahweh, As with an all-covering shield - with good pleasure, wilt thou encompass him.
Yahweh, is my strength and my shield, In him, hath trusted my heart, and I have found help, - Therefore hath my heart danced for joy, and, with my song, do I praise him.
Our own soul, hath waited for Yahweh, Our help and our shield, is he!
For, a sun and shield, is Yahweh God, - Grace and glory, will Yahweh give, He will not withhold what is good, from them who walk without blame.
With his pinion, will he cover thee, And, under his wings, shalt thou seek refuge, A shield and buckler, is his faithfulness.
In my heart, have I treasured what thou hast said, to the end I may not sin against thee.
And he put on Righteousness as a coat of mail, And a helmet of victory upon his head, - And he put on the garments of avenging, for clothing, And wrapped about him as a cloak - jealousy,
Prepare ye buckler and shield, And draw near to battle: Harness the horses, and mount, ye horsemen, Stand forth in helmets, - Polish the lances, put on the coats of mail.
Polish the arrows, Lay hold of the shields, - Yahweh hath roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, For against Babylon, his purpose is, to destroy her, - For it is, The avenging of Yahweh, The avenging of his temple.
And they shall come upon thee - With battle-axe, chariot and wheel And with a gathered host of peoples, :Shield and buckler and helmet, will they array against thee on every side,- And I will put before them judgment, And they shall judge thee with their judgments;
And they shall come upon thee - With battle-axe, chariot and wheel And with a gathered host of peoples, :Shield and buckler and helmet, will they array against thee on every side,- And I will put before them judgment, And they shall judge thee with their judgments;
Thy daughters in the field - with the sword, shall he slay,- And shall set against thee a siege-wall And cast up against thee an earthwork, And set up against thee a large shield;
They of Persia and Lud and Phut were in thine army, Thy men of war, - Shield and helmet, hung they up within thee, They set forth thy splendour: The sons of Arvad, :with thine army, were upon thy walls round about, And valorous in thy towers, - Their shields, hung they up on thy walls round about, They perfected thy beauty:
Persia Ethiopia and Libya with them, All of them, with shield and helmet;
But, whensoever, a mightier than he, shall come upon and vanquish him, his panoply, he taketh away, wherein he was trusting, and, his spoils, he distributeth.
The night, is far spent and, the day, hath drawn near; let us, then, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light, -
in love unfeigned, in discourse of truth, in power of God; through the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and left,
Put on the complete armour of God, with a view to your having power to stand against the strategies of the adversary;
For this cause, take up the complete armour of God, in order that ye may receive power to withstand in the evil day, and, all things, having accomplished, to stand!