John Gill's Exposition on 1 Samuel 17:5

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, etc.] This was a piece of armour, which covered the head in the day of battle; these were usually made of the skins of beasts, of leather, and which were covered with plates of iron, or brass; and sometimes made of all iron, or of brass f349 ; as this seems to have been: and he was armed with a coat of mail; which reached from the neck to the middle, and consisted of various plates of brass laid on one another, like the scales of fishes f350, so close together that no dart or arrow could pierce between: and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass: which made one hundred and fifty six pounds and a quarter of zygostatic or avoirdupois weight; and therefore he must be a very strong man indeed to carry such a weight. So the armour of the ancient Romans were all of brass, as this man’s; their helmets, shields, greaves, coats of mail, all of brass, as Livy says f351; and so in the age of the Grecian heroes f352.

Read 1 Samuel 17:5 →Read the full chapter →Jamieson, Fausset & Brown →Barnes' Notes →Wesley's Explanatory Notes →Tyndale Open Study Notes →Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge →

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