1 Samuel 17 · Verse 6

1 Samuel 17:6

And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

1 Samuel 17:6, King James Version

1 Samuel 17:6 in other translations

BSB	and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
WEB	He had bronze shin armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
ASV	And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.
YLT	and a frontlet of brass is on his feet, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders,
DARBY	And he had greaves of bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders.
BBE	His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass.
Webster	And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

What does 1 Samuel 17:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 17:4-11

4-11. a champion--Hebrew, a "man between two"; that is, a person who, on the part of his own people, undertook to determine the national quarrel by engaging in single combat with a chosen warrior in the hostile army.

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 17:4-11 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 6 Greaves of brass upon his legs - This species of armor may be seen on many ancient monuments. It was a plate of brass (though perhaps sometimes formed of laminae or plates, like the mail) which covered the shin or fore part of the leg, from the knee down to the instep, and was buckled with straps behind the leg. From ancient monuments we find that it was commonly worn only on one leg. Vegetius, de Re Militari, says, Pedites Scutati etiam ferreas ocreas in dextris cruribus copebantur accipere. "The foot soldiers, called Scutati, from their particular species of shield, were obliged to use iron greaves on their right legs." One of these may be seen in the monument of the gladiator Buto, in Montfaucon; and another in the Mosaic pavement at Bognor, in Surrey. A target of brass between his shoulders - When not actually engaged, soldiers threw their shields behind their back, so that they appeared to rest or hang between the shoulders. There are different opinions concerning this piece of armor, called here כידון kidon. Some think it was a covering for the shoulders; others, that it was a javelin or dart; others, that it was a lance; some, a club; and others, a sword. It is certainly distinguished from the shield, 1Sam 17:41, and is translated a spear, Jos 8:18.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 17:1-11

and goes to meet him. (40-47) He kills Goliath. (48-58) Verses 1-11 Men so entirely depend upon God in all things, that when he withdraws his help, the most valiant and resolute cannot find their hearts or hands, as daily experience shows.

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 17:1-11 →

1 Samuel 17:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּמִצְחַ֥תu.mitz.Chatand leg armor ofH4697

נְחֹ֖שֶׁתne.Cho.shetbronzeH5178

עַל\־'al-[was] onH5921

רַגְלָ֑יוrag.Lavfeet hisH7272

וְכִיד֥וֹןve.khi.Donand a javelin ofH3591

נְחֹ֖שֶׁתne.Cho.shetbronzeH5178

בֵּ֥יןbein[was] betweenH996

כְּתֵפָֽיו\׃ke.te.Favshoulders hisH3802

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 17:6

1 Samuel 17:45
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1 Kings 10:16
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
2 Chronicles 9:15
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

target of brass. or, gorget.
1Ki 10:16; 2Ch 9:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Samuel 17:5
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.
1 Samuel 17:6
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
1 Samuel 17:7
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.

Read all of 1 Samuel 17

1 Samuel 17:6 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y sobre sus piernas traía grebas de hierro, y escudo de acero á sus hombros.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	et il avait des jambières d’airain aux jambes, et un javelot d’airain entre ses épaules;
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er hatte eherne Schienen an seinen Beinen und einen ehernen Wurfspieß zwischen seinen Schultern;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	et ocreas æreas habebat in cruribus, et clypeus æreus tegebat humeros ejus.