Shield

Shields were a fundamental element of ancient Israelite and Near Eastern warfare, coming in several sizes and materials. The large body-shield (tsinnah) was typically made of wood covered with leather, large enough to protect most of the body, and was carried by a separate shield-bearer in front of a warrior (1 Samuel 17:7, 41). The smaller round shield or buckler (magen) was carried by the soldier himself, used for parrying blows in close combat. Solomon made two hundred large shields and three hundred smaller shields of beaten gold for decorative display in the House of the Forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 10:16–17).

The shield's spiritual significance in Scripture is extensive. God is repeatedly called the shield of his people (Genesis 15:1; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 115:9–11), a metaphor expressing divine protection against enemies. Ephesians 6:16 describes faith as a shield — specifically the large body-shield (thureos) — with which believers can quench all the fiery darts of the evil one, applying the military image to the spiritual warfare of the Christian life. The shields hung on the walls of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:10–11) and the shields captured from enemies became trophies of victory throughout the biblical narrative.