Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SWORD

An offensive weapon of war and conflict designed to inflict the greatest injury on one’s opponent. Unlike the arrow, sling, spear, and possibly the javelin, the sword (Heb. ḥereḇ; Gk. máchaira, rhomphaía) is a close-order weapon, used when lines of infantry clashed in battle. It is the most frequently mentioned weapon of war in the Bible, in accounts of real warfare and also as a metaphor of the activity of God and his people.

Archaeological excavations have unearthed several types of bronze and iron swords which were used in battle and for ceremonial purposes. The bronze “sickle sword,” frequently depicted on Egyptian reliefs, was used as a badge of rank in the Egyptian army and as a “slashing” weapon with its edge on the outer curve of the blade.

The straight sword is a later design and is associated with the arrival of the “Sea Peoples,” possibly from the Aegean. Egyptian pictures of battles between their forces and the Sea Peoples depict the latter bearing the straight, stabbing sword. Examples, often made of iron, have been found in burial sites of the Philistine region.

The “double edged” sword (rhomphaía) is not necessarily a slashing weapon, but rather designed with a sharp point, honed on either side for deeper penetration of an opponent. The ultimate stage of the development of this weaponry during the biblical period was the steeled Roman gladius. A penetrating wound on an enemy is far more likely to do greater damage than a slash or cut, which might more easily be deflected away by armor or a shield. However, in OT times both cutting (Josh. 8:24; 10:30) and stabbing (Ps. 37:15) were common in the use of the sword.

The Bible, especially the OT, knew the horrors of ancient warfare in which the sword was a main weapon. But this was a terror which Israel and Judah themselves manipulated and exploited (Deut. 13:15; 20:13; Josh. 6:21; 8:26). The preexilic and exilic prophets often mention the terror the sword inspired; Jeremiah and Ezekiel, especially, depict the physical and psychological damage that attacks with the sword can inflict on a population (Jer. 6:25; Ezek. 5:12; 11:8). The sword became a symbol of warfare throughout the OT (Lev. 26:7; Deut 32:42) and was an ideal symbol of judgment (e.g., Lev. 26:25, 33).

The sword is associated metaphorically with the mouth. It devours its victims (Isa. 1:20; Jer. 2:30) and becomes sated with blood (Isa. 34:6). Liars have teeth as sharp as swords (Ps. 57:4[MT 5]), and tongues which do similar damage (64:3[4]). Thus the sword becomes a synonym and metaphor for the powerful word of God (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16).

While the hope for peace without the sword is expressed many times in the Bible (Lev. 26:6; Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3), the weapon is far too common a feature of ancient life to be so dismissed. The opening chapters of Genesis present the enigmatic “flaming and turning sword” as the weapon by which humans are barred from Paradise (Gen. 3:24), and Revelation depicts the sword as the weapon by which the apocalyptic horsemen destroy their victims in judgment (Rev. 6:4, 8). Jesus’ comment that those who live by the sword shall also perish by it (Matt. 26:52) is less an ethical pronouncement than an unfortunate statement of fact.

Bibliography. R. Maxwell-Hyslop, “Daggers and Swords in Western Asia,” Iraq 8 (1946): 1-65.

T. R. Hobbs

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SWORD

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)