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
Therefore take now, thy weapon, thy quiver and thy bow, and go forth to the field and hunt for me a hunting.
And the mouth of its head shall be in the midst of it: the lip shall be before it round about a plaited work, as the mouth of a coat of mail shall be to it: it shall not rend.
And the turbans of byssus, and the beautiful caps of byssus, and the drawers of thread of twisted byssus.
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, will see, and he will rise up from the midst of the assembly and will take a spear in his hand;
And Ehud will make to him a sword, and to it two mouths; a cubit its length: and he will gird it from under his garments upon his right thigh.
From all this people, seven hundred chosen men shut up of the right hand, slinging at a hair, and they will not miss.
And a helmet of brass upon his head, and a coat of mail of scales he put on; and the weight of the coat of mail five thousand shekels of brass.
And a helmet of brass upon his head, and a coat of mail of scales he put on; and the weight of the coat of mail five thousand shekels of brass. And brass fronts upon his feet, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.
And brass fronts upon his feet, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. And the arrow of his spear as the beam of weavers, and the flame of his spear, six hundred shekels of iron. And he lifting up a shield went before him.
And the arrow of his spear as the beam of weavers, and the flame of his spear, six hundred shekels of iron. And he lifting up a shield went before him.
And he of the rovers going, went and drew near to David; and the man lifting up the shield before him.
And David will say to him of the rovers, Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, and I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, which thou didst upbraid.
And David will run and stand upon the rover, and take his sword and draw it from its sheath, and kill him and cut off his head with it. And the rovers will see that their mighty one died, and they will flee.
And David will say to his men, Gird ye on, each his sword; and they will gird on each his sword, and also David will gird on his sword: and there will go up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred will sit down by the vessels.
And he will refuse to turn aside: and Abner will strike him with the extremity of the spear in the belly, and the spear will come forth from behind him, and he will fall there and die in his place: and it will be, all coming to the place where Asahel fell there and he will die, and they will stand.
And Joab will say, I will not delay before thee. And he will take three spears in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, he yet living in the heart of the oak.
And Abishai Joab's brother, son of Zeruiah, he the head of the three. And he raised up his spear against three hundred wounded, and to him a name among the three.
And he struck a man, an Egyptian, who was seeing; and in the hand of the Egyptian a spear; and he went down to him with a rod, and he will pluck the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and kill him with his spear.
And king Solomon will make two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred of gold will come up upon the one shield.
And they will call with a great voice, and they will cut themselves according to their judgment, with swords and with spears, even to the pouring out of blood upon them.
And they will tear down the cities, and on all the good portion of Moab they will cast a man his stone, and they filled it; and they will shut up all the fountains of water, and they will cause every good tree to fall: till he left its stones in the city of potsherds, and the slingers will encompass and strike it.
And of the Gadites they separated to David to the castle from the desert strong ones of power, men of the army for war, setting in array the shield and spear, and the face of a lion their faces, and as roes upon the mountain to make haste;
And in every city and city, shields and spears, and he will strengthen them very greatly, and there will be to him Judah and Benjamin.
And he will cause all the people to stand, and each his missile weapon in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house even to the left shoulder of the house, to the altar and to the house by the king round about
And he will strengthen himself and build all the wall broken down, and he will go up upon the towers, and to without another wall, and he will strengthen the filling up of the city of David, and he will make darts for abundance, and shields.
They building upon the wall, and they bearing in the burden, they loading with one of his hands doing in the work, and one holding fast the weapon.
And not I and my brethren and my young men, and the men of the watch which were after me, we not putting off our garments; a man his weapon for water.
For the arrows of the Almighty are with me, which their anger drank up my spirit: the terrors of God will be prepared for me.
He will keep back his soul from the pit, and his life from passing away by the spear.
And if they will not hear, they shall pass away by the spear, and they shall expire without knowledge.
All mine enemies shall be ashamed, they shall tremble exceedingly they shall turn back, they shall be ashamed suddenly.
Gird thy sword upon the thigh, thou strong one in thy majesty and thine honor.
Arrows of the strong one sharpened with burning coals of broom.
Happy the man who filled his quiver from them: they shall not be ashamed when they shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
And Elam lifted up the quiver with the chariot of men, horsemen; and Kir made naked the shield.
And he set my mouth as a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me, and he will set me for a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me.
Thou a mallet to me, a weapon of war: and I broke the nations in pieces with thee, and I destroyed kingdoms with thee;
Persia and Lud and Phut were in thy strength, thy men of war: hung the shield and helmet in thee; they gave thy decoration.
And they shall not thrust a man his brother; they shall go a man in his high way: and in the midst of the javelin shall they fall, they shall not be cut in pieces.