1 Samuel 17:6

6 His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass.

1 Samuel 17:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:6

And he had greaves of brass upon his legs
Which were a sort of boots, or leg harnesses, which covered the thighs and legs down to the heels; such as Iolaus ^F11 and the Grecians usually wore, as described by Homer; which are supposed to be double the weight of the helmet, reckoned at fifteen pounds, so that these must weigh thirty pounds of avoirdupois weight:

and a target of brass between his shoulders;
the Targum is,

``a spear or shield of brass, which came out of the helmet, and a weight of brass upon his shoulders.''

Jarchi says the same, and that it was in the form of a spear to defend the neck from the sword; it seems to be a corslet of brass, worn between the helmet and the coat of mail for the defence of the neck, supposed to weigh thirty pounds ^F12

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Hesiod. Scutum Herc. ver. 122.
F12 Vid. Hostii Monomach. David & Goliath, c. 5.

1 Samuel 17:6 In-Context

4 And a fighter came out from the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath; he was more than six cubits tall.

5 And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass.

6 His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass.

7 The stem of his spear was as long as a cloth-worker's rod, and its head was made of six hundred shekels' weight of iron: and one went before him with his body-cover.

8 He took up his position and in a loud voice said to the armies of Israel, Why have you come out to make war? Am I not a Philistine and you servants of Saul? Send out a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.