Reference: Arms, Armor
Smith
Arms, Armor.
The subject naturally divides itself into-- I. Offensive weapons: Arms. II. Defensive weapons: Armor. I. Offensive weapons.--
1. Apparently the earliest known and most widely used was the Chereb or SWORD. Very little can be gathered as to its shape, size, material or mode of use. Perhaps if anything is to be inferred it is that the Chereb is both a lighter and a shorter weapon than the modern sword. It was carried in a sheath,
See Sword
1Sa 17:51; 2Sa 20:8; 1Ch 21:27
slung by a girdle,
and resting upon the thigh,
or upon the hips.
2. Next we have the SPEAR; and of this weapon we meet with at least three distinct kinds.
See Spear
a. The Chanith, a "spear," and that of the largest kind. It was the weapon of Goliath,
1Sa 17:7,45; 2Sa 21:19; 1Ch 20:5
and also of other giants,
and mighty warriors.
b. Apparently lighter than the preceding was the Cidon or "javelin." When not in action the Cidon was carried on the back of the warrior,
Authorized Version "target." c. Another kind of spear was the Romach. In the historical books it occurs in
and 1Kin 18:28 and frequently in the later books, as in
("buckler");
(It varied much in length, weight and size.) d. The Shelach was probably a lighter missile or "dart." see
("darts");
(see margin);
e. Shebet, a rod or staff, is used once only to denote a weapon.
3. Of missile weapons of offence the chief was undoubtedly the BOW, Kesheth. The ARROWS were carried in a quiver.
See Bow
See Arrows
Ge 27:3; Isa 22:6; 49:2; Ps 127:5
From an allusion in Job 6:4 they would seem to have been some times poisoned; and
may point to a practice of using arrows with some burning material attached to them.
4. The SLING is first mentioned in
See Sling
This simple weapon, with which David killed the giant Philistine, was the natural attendant of a shepherd. Later in the monarchy, slingers formed part of the regular army.
5. The BATTLE AXE,
a powerful weapon of whose exact form we have no knowledge. II. Armor.--
1. The BREASTPLATE, enumerated in the description of the arms of Goliath, a "coat of mail," literally a "breastplate of scales."
See Breastplate
This word has furnished one of the names of Mount Hermon. See
De 3:9
2. The HABERGEON is mentioned but twice--in reference to the gown of the high priest.
See Habergeon
It was probably a quilted shirt or doublet.
3. The HELMET is referred to in
See Helmet
1Sa 17:5; 2Ch 26:14; Eze 27:10
4. (GREAVES) or defences for the feet, made of brass, are named in
See Greaves
only.
5. Two kinds of SHIELD are distinguishable.
See Shield
a. The large shield; encompassing,
the whole person. When not in actual conflict it was carried before the warrior.
b. Of smaller dimensions was the buckler or target, probably for use in hand-to-hand fight.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
So take your arrows and your bow and go out to the field and get meat for me;
With a hole at the top, in the middle of it; the hole is to be edged with a band to make it strong like the hole in the coat of a fighting-man, so that it may not be broken open.
And the twisted head-dress for Aaron, and beautiful head-dresses of linen, and linen trousers,
And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, seeing it, got up from among the people and took a spear in his hand,
So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, which he put on at his right side under his robe.
Who were left-handed, able to send a stone at a hair without error.
And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass.
And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass. His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass.
His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass. The stem of his spear was as long as a cloth-worker's rod, and its head was made of six hundred shekels' weight of iron: and one went before him with his body-cover.
The stem of his spear was as long as a cloth-worker's rod, and its head was made of six hundred shekels' weight of iron: and one went before him with his body-cover.
And the Philistine came nearer to David; and the man who had his body-cover went before him.
Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel on which you have put shame.
So running up to the Philistine and putting his foot on him, David took his sword out of its cover, and put him to death, cutting off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their fighter was dead, they went in flight.
And David said to his men, Put on your swords, every one of you. And every man put on his sword; and David did the same; and about four hundred men went up with David, and two hundred kept watch over their goods.
But still he did not go to one side: so Abner gave him a back blow in the stomach with his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he went down on the earth, wounded to death: and all those who came to the place where Asahel went down dead, came to a stop.
Then Joab said, I would have made it safe for you. And he took three spears in his hand, and put them through Absalom's heart, while he was still living, in the branches of the tree.
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. He put to death three hundred with his spear, and he got for himself a name among the thirty.
And he made an attack on an Egyptian, a tall man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a stick, and pulling the spear out of the hands of the Egyptian, put him to death with that same spear
And Solomon made two hundred body-covers of hammered gold, every one having six hundred shekels of gold in it.
So they gave loud cries, cutting themselves with knives and swords, as was their way, till the blood came streaming out all over them.
Pulling down the towns, covering every good field with stones, stopping up all the water-springs, and cutting down all the good trees; they went on driving Moab before them till only in Kir-hareseth were there any Moabites; and the fighting-men went round the town raining stones on it.
And some of the Gadites, siding with David, went to his strong place in the waste land, great and strong men, trained for war, expert in the use of arms, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were quick-footed like roes on the mountains;
And in every town he put stores of body-covers and spears, and made them very strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.
And he put all the people in position, every man with his instruments of war in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left, by the altar and the house and all round the king.
Then he took heart, building up the wall where it was broken down, and making its towers higher, and building another wall outside; and he made strong the Millo in the town of David, and got together a great store of all sorts of instruments of war.
Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;
So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.
For the arrows of the Ruler of all are present with me, and their poison goes deep into my spirit: his army of fears is put in order against me.
Let all those who are against me be shamed and deeply troubled; let them be turned back and suddenly put to shame.
Put on your sword, make it ready at your side, O strong chief, with your glory and power.
And Elam was armed with arrows, and Aram came on horseback; and the breastplate of Kir was uncovered.
And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shade of his hand he has kept me; and he has made me like a polished arrow, keeping me in his secret place;
You are my fighting axe and my instrument of war: with you the nations will be broken; with you kingdoms will be broken;
Cush and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war, hanging up their body-covers and head-dresses of war in you: they gave you your glory.