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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

1 Samuel 17:5

He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Brass;   Coat of Mail;   Helmet;   Mail;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arms, Military;   Brass, or Copper;   Philistines, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Brass;   Goliath;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Armour;   Philistia, philistines;   Shekel;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Armour;   Brass;   Coat of Mail;   Copper;   Helmet;   Mail, Coat of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Arms;   Philistia;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bronze;   Coat of Mail;   Copper;   Mediator;   Minerals and Metals;   Philistines, the;   Samuel, Books of;   Weights and Measures;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Armour, Arms;   David;   Giant;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Armour;   Goliath ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Goliath;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armor;   Arms;   Goliath;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Arms, Armor;   Copper,;   Metals;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Arms;   Goliath;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Armor;   Dress;   Goliath;   Philistines;   Scales;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Brass;   Breastplate;   Helmet;   Iron;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds.
Hebrew Names Version
He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
King James Version
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
Lexham English Bible
A bronze helmet was on his head, and he was clothed with scale body armor; the weight of the body armor was five thousand bronze shekels.
English Standard Version
He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
New Century Version
with a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of bronze armor that weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds.
New English Translation
He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was five thousand shekels.
Amplified Bible
He had a bronze helmet on his head, and wore a coat of scale-armor (overlapping metal plates) which weighed 5,000 shekels of bronze.
New American Standard Bible
And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Aud had an helmet of brasse vpo his head, & a brigandine vpon him: and the weight of his brigandine was fiue thousand shekels of brasse.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor, and the weight of that scale-armor was five thousand shekels of bronze.
Contemporary English Version
He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back,
Complete Jewish Bible
He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a bronze armor plate weighing 120 pounds.
Darby Translation
And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he was clothed with a corselet of scales; and the weight of the corselet was five thousand shekels of bronze.
Easy-to-Read Version
He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a coat of armor that was made like the scales on a fish. This armor was made of bronze and weighed about 125 pounds.
George Lamsa Translation
And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of his coat of mail was five thousand shekels of brass.
Good News Translation
and wore bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds and a bronze helmet.
Literal Translation
And a bronze helmet was on his head, and he was clothed with scaled body armor; and the weight of the armor was five thousand shekels of bronze.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and had an helmet of stele on his heade, and a fast habergion vpon him, and the weight of his habergion was fyue thousande Sicles of stele,
American Standard Version
And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And had an helmet of brasse vpon his head, and a coate of male about him. And the weight of his coate of mayle, was fiue thousand sicles of brasse.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
King James Version (1611)
And he had an helmet of brasse vpon his head, and he was armed with a coate of male: and the weight of the coat was fiue thousand shekels of brasse.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he had a helmet upon his head, and he wore a breastplate of chain armour; and the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass and iron.
English Revised Version
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
Berean Standard Bible
and he wore a bronze helmet and bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he was clothid with `an haburioun hokid, ether mailid; forsothe the weiyte of his haburioun was fyue thousynde siclis of bras;
Young's Literal Translation
and a helmet of brass [is] on his head, and [with] a scaled coat of mail he [is] clothed, and the weight of the coat of mail [is] five thousand shekels of brass,
Update Bible Version
And he had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
Webster's Bible Translation
And [he had] a helmet of brass upon his head, and he [was] armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat [was] five thousand shekels of brass.
World English Bible
He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
New King James Version
He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
New Living Translation
He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds.
New Life Bible
He had a head covering of brass, and wore brass battle-clothes that weighed as much as 5,000 silver pieces.
New Revised Standard
He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
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;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a coat of mail with scales, and the weight of his coat of mail was five thousand sicles of brass:
Revised Standard Version
He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

Contextual Overview

1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.6 He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, "Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 "If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us." 10 Again the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

armed: Heb. clothed, 1 Samuel 17:38

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 21:16 - of the sons Ephesians 6:17 - the helmet

Cross-References

Genesis 17:2
"I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly."
Genesis 17:4
"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
Genesis 17:15
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
Genesis 17:21
"But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."
Genesis 17:23
Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.
Genesis 32:28
He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed."
Numbers 13:16
These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
2 Samuel 12:25
and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD'S sake.
Nehemiah 9:7
"You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham.
Isaiah 65:15
"You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, And the Lord GOD will slay you. But My servants will be called by another name.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he had an helmet of brass upon his head,.... This was a piece of armour, which covered the head in the day of battle; these were usually made of the skins of beasts, of leather, and which were covered with plates of iron, or brass; and sometimes made of all iron, or of brass g; as this seems to have been:

and he was armed with a coat of mail; which reached from the neck to the middle, and consisted of various plates of brass laid on one another, like the scales of fishes h, so close together that no dart or arrow could pierce between:

and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass: which made one hundred and fifty six pounds and a quarter of zygostatic or avoirdupois weight; and therefore he must be a very strong man indeed to carry such a weight. So the armour of the ancient Romans were all of brass, as this man's; their helmets, shields, greaves, coats of mail, all of brass, as Livy says i; and so in the age of the Grecian heroes j.

g Vid. Lydium "de re militari": l. 3. c. 5. p. 63. h "----Rutilum thoraca indutus a‰nis Horrebat squamis----" Virgil. Aeneid. l. 11. i Hist. l. 1. c. 22. j Pausan. Messenica, l. 3. p. 163. So Homer frequently describes the Grecians with a coat of mail of brass.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Coat of mail - Or “breastplate of scales.” A kind of metal shirt, protecting the back as well as the breast, and made of scales like those of a fish; as was the corselet of Rameses III, now in the British Museum. The terms, helmet, coat, and clothed (armed the King James Version) are the same as those used in Isaiah 59:17.

Five thousand shekels - Probably about 157 pounds avoirdupois (see Exodus 38:12). It is very probable that Goliath’s brass coat may have been long preserved as a trophy, as we know his sword was, and so the weight of it ascertained.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 17:5. He was armed with a coat of mail — The words in the original, שרון קשקשים shiryon kaskassim, mean a coat of mail formed of plates of brass overlapping each other, like the scales of a fish, or tiles of a house. This is the true notion of the original terms.

With thin plates of brass or iron, overlapping each other, were the ancient coats of mail formed in different countries; many formed in this way may be now seen in the tower of London.

The weight - five thousand shekels — Following Bishop Cumberland's tables, and rating the shekel at two hundred and nineteen grains, and the Roman ounce at four hundred and thirty-eight grains, we find that Goliath's coat of mail, weighing five thousand shekels, was exactly one hundred and fifty-six pounds four ounces avoirdupois. A vast weight for a coat of mail, but not all out of proportion to the man.


 
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