Bosses

Bosses refers to the convex projecting knobs or studs on the front of a shield (Job 15:26), used both to deflect blows and as decorative reinforcement. The Hebrew word implies roundness or convexity. In Job 15:26, Eliphaz describes the wicked man as one who runs at God “with outstretched neck, with his thick-bossed shields”—an image of reckless, armor-clad defiance against divine authority. The thick bosses suggest a particularly heavy or reinforced shield, emphasizing the arrogance of the posture rather than its practical military value against an omnipotent God.

Ancient shields ranged from small round bucklers to large body-length shields, and many were decorated with metal bosses. Egyptian, Assyrian, and Canaanite shields all show examples of such reinforced projections in artistic representations. The poetic use in Job captures the visual image of an adversary approaching in full martial readiness, oblivious to the futility of armed defiance against the Creator.