and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,
Parallel translations
- WEB He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he wore a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV 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.
- NASB And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.
- NLT He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Goliath wears a bronze helmet and a heavy coat of mail. His massive armor underscores how invincible he appears.
Overview
The description of Goliath's heavy bronze armor magnifies his fearsome strength and protection. Such detail heightens the sense that no Israelite could hope to defeat him by ordinary means. It prepares the reader to marvel when victory comes not by armor but by faith in God.
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 17:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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