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Weapons and warfare
Spear and javelin
Hebrew chanit (spear), kidon (javelin) · Greek lonchē · one thrust, the other thrown
The javelin and the spear looked alike but were used differently. The javelin was lighter and shorter, made to be thrown like a large arrow; Sumerian chariots of the third millennium BC carried several in a quiver. The spear was longer and heavier, a wooden shaft with a leaf-shaped metal blade, made for thrusting. Already on monuments from about 3000 BC it is the standard weapon of foot soldiers.
Many spears had a metal spike on the butt, so that the spear could be stuck upright in the ground — as Saul’s was beside his head while he slept in the camp (1 Samuel 26:7). The butt could kill too: Abner struck Asahel with it (2 Samuel 2:23). Goliath carried a bronze javelin between his shoulders, and the shaft of his spear was “like a weaver’s beam”, with an iron point of six hundred shekels, about 7 kg (1 Samuel 17:6–7). Saul twice hurled his spear at David. At the crucifixion a Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear.
Key verses
and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai,Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.Sources
Adapted and shortened from the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers · CC BY-SA 4.0 — Armor and Weapons: Javelin and Spear; Spear, Spearman; Javelin
Adapted from Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary: articles chosen, shortened and retold in our own words (history, nature and daily life only) and, in languages other than English, machine-translated. The original work by Tyndale House Publishers is available for free at tyndaleopenresources.com.
