Helmet

A helmet was a protective head covering worn in battle, made of bronze or iron for warriors and of leather for lighter infantry. In the OT, Goliath wore a bronze helmet (1 Sam. 17:5), and Saul fitted David with his own bronze helmet before the duel — which David removed (1 Sam. 17:38–39). Helmets are mentioned among the military equipment of various armies (2 Chr. 26:14; Ezek. 27:10). In the New Testament, Paul employs the helmet as a metaphor in his description of the spiritual armor: "the helmet of salvation" (Eph. 6:17), and in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 he speaks of the "hope of salvation as a helmet," grounding the protective function in the confident hope of final deliverance in Christ.