Tool Beta
The Ancient World Behind the Text
Pick a passage anywhere in the New Testament. See the customs and ideas a first reader knew without being told.
Ephesians 6:10-17, The armor of God
Paul calls the believers to stand firm in God's armor, because their struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-17, in every translation this tool compares.
Paul closes his teaching with a call to stand firm. The believers' real fight is with spiritual powers of evil, so they need the armor God supplies to hold their ground against the devil's schemes. He names each piece, truth, righteousness, readiness from the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and God's word, picturing each as part of a soldier's kit.
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/soldiers-and-armor\/","n":"Roman soldiers and their gear","s":"The legionary was the most familiar picture of armed strength in the provinces: helmet, breastplate, boots, a big shield and a short sword, fighting shoulder to shoulder. Legions that held their ranks were thought almost unbeatable.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/the-satan\/","n":"The satan, the tempter","s":"The accuser, tempter and deceiver of Jewish belief, seen as the power behind human and political evil. In the Gospels he tests Jesus and is the strong man Jesus binds, and John calls him the ruler of this world.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/powers-over-the-nations\/","n":"Rulers and powers over the nations","s":"Many Jews believed each nation had a spiritual ruler set over it, often hostile to God's people. Paul's rulers, authorities, powers and thrones belong to that picture.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/unclean-spirits\/","n":"Unclean spirits and exorcists","s":"Spirits that defiled and harmed people. Exorcists of the day used names, oaths, spells and foul smells to drive them out. Jesus gave an order.","r":""}
The section works as a peroratio, the rousing close of a speech, much like a general's speech before battle (Keener and his notes). Where the armor comes from is read differently: most hearers in Asia Minor would first picture a Roman soldier (Keener and his notes), and the Zondervan dictionary thinks Paul drew on his Roman guards; the ESV Study Bible gives the Old Testament first place, and Arnold writes that "Most of the imagery comes straight from the book of Isaiah" (11:5; 52:7; 59:17), as Wright also notes. Only the sword can attack (the cultural backgrounds notes; Wright). The flaming arrows recall the darts of Eros, though Paul probably means slander and other attacks as well (the cultural backgrounds notes; Keener). Struggle was "the typical term for the sport of wrestling", found on inscriptions for the games of western Asia Minor (Arnold), and philosophers spoke of wrestling with wicked ideas (Keener and his notes). Some pagan deities and star powers were called world rulers (Keener and his notes; Arnold). Heiser reads these words as rulers of geographical domains, while Arnold notes that Paul never names, ranks or places the powers.
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, introduction to Ephesians 6:10-20, and on Ephesians 6:12, 6:13, 6:14, 6:15 and 6:16
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Ephesians 6:10-20, 6:12, 6:14, 6:16 and 6:17
- ESV Study Bible, study note on Ephesians 6:11
- Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm, ch. 37, This Means War, Observations on Paul's Vocabulary
- Clinton E. Arnold, Powers of Darkness, ch. 3, Astrology, The Elementary Spirits of This World, ch. 6, What Paul Does Not Say, and ch. 11, The Christian Life As Warfare
- N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters, comment on Ephesians 6:10-17
- J. D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, entry arms and armor
