Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

COAT OF MAIL

Armor consisting of 400-600 plates of metal, which were pierced and sewn to a cloth or leather undercoat. The plates overlapped to provide maximum protection; the armor was weakest at the joining of the sleeve to the tunic body and between the scales (1 Kgs. 22:34 = 2 Chr. 18:33). Such armor was probably developed to free the hands from having to hold a shield, thus enabling charioteers to drive and soldiers to wield the bow and yet still have protection.

The coat of mail was used by either foreigners (1 Sam. 17:5) or the elite (v. 38) until the time of Uzziah (2 Chr. 26:14; Neh. 4:16[MT 10]), who introduced this technology into the rank and file. The prophet Isaiah uses armor metaphorically to refer to the righteous character and actions of God (Isa. 59:17). In the NT, Paul applies Isaiah’s metaphor to the righteous lifestyle of the Christian (Eph. 6:14; 1 Thess. 5:8).

Bibliography. R. Gonen, Weapons of the Ancient World (Minneapolis, 1976); T. R. Hobbs, A Time for War. OTS 3 (Wilmington, 1989).

W. E. Nunnally

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

COAT OF MAIL

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)