Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SHIELD

The use of shields in battle is attested as early as the 3rd millennium b.c. in scenes from Egypt and Mesopotamia. The long shield of the Sumerians covered a soldier from the neck to the ankles. With the advances in construction of body armor in the Late Bronze Age, shields became smaller and lighter, varying in size and shape depending on the country of origin.

Shields commonly consisted of a wooden frame covered with hide or leather, which was oiled to prevent cracking and to ward off more effectively glancing blows (2 Sam. 1:21; Isa. 21:5). Although metal provided greater protection, military shields made entirely of metal were rare since the increased weight impeded a soldier’s mobility. Metal was used primarily to strengthen wooden shields.

Gold or bronze shields were hung on the walls of the temple and palace as decoration and as trophies taken in battle (2 Sam. 8:7; 1 Kgs. 10:17; 14:27). Battlements of walls and towers of a besieged city were sometimes covered with the shields of the defenders (Ezek. 27:11). This enabled the owner to be free of the weight yet still enjoy a measure of protection, and it protected the battlements from missiles. At the same time the shield could be taken up for hand-to-hand combat when needed.

“Shield” is often used figuratively to denote God’s relation to his people. God is a shield about his servants (Gen. 15:1; Ps. 3:3[MT 4]). The shield is a symbol of divine deliverance (2 Sam. 22:36 = Ps. 18:35[36]) and of God’s anointed (84:9[10]). In the NT it is a symbol for the content of the faith, one of the Christian’s vital defenses (Eph. 6:16).

Bibliography. R. Gonen, Weapons of the Ancient World (Minneapolis, 1976); Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands (Jerusalem, 1963).

W. E. Nunnally

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SHIELD

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)