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.
2Sa 2:23; 23:18; 2000'>1Ch 11:11,20
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
Now therefore take, I pray you, your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the midst of it: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a garment, that it does not tear.
And a turban of fine linen, and exquisite caps of fine linen, and linen trousers of fine twined linen,
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
But Ehud made himself a dagger which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he did gird it under his clothes upon his right thigh.
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men, left-handed; every one could sling stones at a hair's breadth, and not miss.
And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had armor of bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze upon his shoulders.
And he had armor of bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze upon his shoulders. 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.
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.
And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bore the shield went before him.
Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head there. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
And David said unto his men, Gird you on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the supplies.
However he refused to turn aside: therefore Abner with the blunt end of the spear struck him under the fifth rib, so 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.
Then said Joab, I cannot tarry thus with you. And he took three spears in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among another three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among these three.
And he slew an Egyptian, a handsome man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.
And king Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one large shield.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and covered it; and they stopped up all the wells of water, and cut down all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they its stones; the slingers surrounded it, and conquered it.
And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David at the stronghold in the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the gazelles upon the mountains;
And in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.
And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, all around the king.
Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.
They who built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, so burdened themselves, everyone with one of his hands worked in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison thereof drinks up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.
Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
Gird your sword upon your thigh, O most mighty, with your glory and your majesty.
Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
And Elam bore the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand has he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver has he hid me;
You are my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with you will I break in pieces the nations, and with you will I destroy kingdoms;
They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in your army, your men of war: they hung the shield and helmet in you; they set forth your splendor.