What Does 1 Samuel 17:6 Mean?
And he had shin guards of bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.THE KEY
Brass guards the part of him that carries him forward: the Hebrew word for legs belongs to the same root as going about.
THE MEANING
You encounter strength as something placed on a body: brass guards the legs and sits between the shoulders. The metal makes protection visible and turns movement into part of the display. Here, power appears as weight carried on the body.
THE ROOT
רַגְלָיו
raglāyw
GROWS FROM
רגל
Foot; movement on foot.
“legs” in this verse is raglāyw. The same רגל root names the foot and the act of going about, so the greaves cover not just a body part but the body’s capacity for movement. The verse makes protected mobility part of the warrior’s visible force.
ALSO GROWS
regel: Foot or leg.
רֶגֶל
The greaves cover the body’s instrument for standing and moving.
ragal: To go about; to scout or spy.
רָגַל
The protected legs belong to the same root family as going about on foot, tying armor to mobility.
THE PATTERN
Armor makes protection visible on the body while leaving that body exposed to what the armor cannot cover.
And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he was clothed in a coat of scales, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.And a certain man drew his bow without aim, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. And he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand, and carry me out of the camp, for I am wounded.Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the paths of the Slanderer.THE THREAD
He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me standing upon my heights.The Hebrew word for Goliath’s legs and the word for the psalmist’s feet share the root רגל, joining armor to movement. Here the legs are covered in brass; in the psalm, the feet are made sure on high places.
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