ARMOUR, ARMS

beasts (1 S 17*°), as well as a military weapon (2 K 3" and often). The Hebrew sling, lilce those of the Egyptians and Assyrians, doubtless consisted of a long narrow strip of leather, widening in the middle to receive the stone, and tapering to both ends. At one end was a loop by which the sUng was held as the slinger swung it round his head, while the other end was released as the stone was thrown. The Benjamites were specially noted for the accuracy of their aim (Jg 20").

(t) The battle axe (Jer SI", RVm maul; cf. Pr 25"), lit. 'shatterer' (no doubt identical with the 'weapon of his shattering,' Ezk 9^ [RVm 'battle axe'l), was probably, as the etymology suggests, a club or mace of hard wood, studded with iron spikes, such as was carried by the Assyrians in the army of Xerxes (Herod, vii. 63). See Rich, Diet, of Ant., s.v. 'Clava.'

2. Defensive arms. — (a) First among the arms of defence must be placed the shield, of which two main varieties are common to all periods, the small shield or buckler (magen), and the large shield (.sinnah), the target of 1 K lO'si'-. The distinction between these is rarely preserved in our EV (.e.g. Jer 4T — in Ps 35^, Ezk 23''* they are reversed), but the relative sizes of the two kinds may be seen in the passage of 1 Kings just cited, where the targets or large shields each required four times as much gold as the smaller buckler. 'These, however, were only for state processions and the like (14=«, but cf. 1 Mac 6"). The mOgen was the ordinary Ught round shield of the ancient world, ^he Roman clypeus] the zinnah was the scutum or kirge ODlong shield which more effectively protected Its bearer against the risks of battle. The normal type of both was most probably made of layers of leather stretched on a frame of wood or wickerwork, since 'both the shields and the bucklers' might be burned (Ezk 39'). The shield, as a figure of God's protecting care, is a favourite with the reUgious poets of Israel (Psalms, passim). St. Paul also in His great military allegory introduces the large Grieco-Roman shield (Eph 6").

(6) Of the shapes of the Hebrew helmets we have no information. Kings and other notables wore helmets of bronze (1 S 17'- "), but those prepared by Uzziah for 'air the host' (2 Ch 26» RV) were more probably of leather, such as the monuments show to have been worn by the rank and file of other armies until supplanted in the Greek age by bronze, for the elite of the infantry at least (1 Mac 6»).

(c) The same difference of material — ^bronze for the leaders, leather for the common soldier — holds good for the cuirass or coat of mail (1 S 17'"- »'). The latter term takes the place in RV of the antiquated habergeon (2 Ch 26", Neh 4"), and brigandine (Jer 46* Sl»). The cuirass, which protected both back and front, is also intended by the breastplate of Is 59" (RVm 'coat of mail'), 1 Mac 3", 1 Th 5», Eph 6". Goliath's coat of mail was composed of scales of bronze, and probably resembled the Egyptian style of cuirass described and illustrated by Wilkinson (.Anc. Egyp. [1878] i. 219 ff.). This detail is not given for Saul's cuirass (1 S 17'«). Ahab's 'harness' consisted of a cuirass which ended in 'tassels' or flaps, the 'lower armour' of 1 K 22" RVm. The Syrian war-elephants were protected by breastplates (1 Mac 6*^), and probably also the horses of the Egyptian cavalry (Jer 46*).

(d) Greaves of bronze to protect the legs are mentioned only in connexion with Goliath (1 S 17'). The military boot is perhaps referred to in Is 9' (RVm).

The armourbearer is met with as early as the time of Abimelech ( Jg 9** ) , and later in cormexion with Jonathan, Saul, and Goliath, and with Joab, who had several (2 S 18"). TMs office was held by a young man, like the squire of medieeval knighthood, who carried the shield (1 S 17'), cuirass, the reserve of darts (2 S 18"), and other weapons of his chief, and gave the coup de grace to those whom the latter had struck down (1 S 14").

ARMY

An armoury for the storage of material of war is mentioned by Nehemiah (3"), but that this was built by David can scarcely be inferred from the difficult text of Ca 4*. Solomon's armoury was 'the house of the forest of Lebanon' (1 K 10", Is 22«). The Temple also seems to have been used for this purpose (2 K 11'°). See further the articles Aemy, Fortification and

SlEOGCBAFT, WaK. A. R. S. KENNEDY.

ARMOUBBEABEB, ARUOTJRY.— See Abmour.

ABUT. — 1. In default of a strong central authority; an army in the sense of a permanently organized and disciplined body of troops was an impossibility among the Hebrews before the establishment of the monarchy. The bands that followed a Gideon or a Jephthah were hastily improvised levies from his own and neighbour-ing clans, whose members returned with their share of the spoil to their ordinary occupations when the fray was at an end. The first step towards a more permanent arrangement was taken by Saul in his operations against the Philistines (1 S 13^, cf. 14'^). David, however, was the first to establish the nucleus of a standing army, by retaining as a permanent bodyguard 600 'mighty men' (their official title) who had gathered round him in his exUe (1 S 23" 30», 2 S 10' 16°). To these were added the mercenary corps of the Cherethites and Pelethites (wh. see), and a company of 600 Gittites (2 S 15'°). Apart from these, David's armies were raised by levy as before, but now from the whole nation, hence the technical use of 'the people' in the sense of 'the army' (2 S 20" and often). Solomon's organization of his kingdom into administrative dis-tricts (1 K 4"') doubtless included matters of army administration (cf. v.^s 9'° 10»).

2. The organization of the Hebrew army was by units of thousands, originally associated with the civil di-visions of the same name, with subdivisions of hundreds, fifties, and tens (1 S S'^ 17" 22', 2 K 1°*- 11*), an arrange-ment which continued into the Maccabsean period (1 Mac 3"). Each of these divisions had its special 'captain.' The whole was under the supreme com-mand of the 'captain of the host.' The relative positions and duties of the shOterlm (AV 'officers') and other military officials are quite uncertain. The former appear to have been charged with keeping and checking the lists of the quotas to be furnished by the various districts (Dt 20'''-).

3. The army wa;S composed in early times entirely, and at all times chiefiy, of infantry, the bulk of whom were armed with the spear or pike and the large shield or target (see Armour). The archers carried a sword and buckler (1 Ch 5'°), and with the slingers (2 Ch 26") made up the .light Infantry. Chariots, although long before a vital part of the forces of the surrounding nations, were first introduced into the Hebrew army by Solomon (1 K 4» 9^ lO""-; see Chariot, Horse).

4. The period during which a citizen was liable for military service extended from his twentieth (Nu 1', 2 Ch 25°) to his fiftieth year (Jos. Ant. ni. xii. 4). Ex-emption was granted in the cases specified in Dt 20'^-, at least under the Maccabees (1 Mac 3°°), and to the members of the priestly caste (Nu 2").

6. As regards maintenance, each city and district had doubtless to supply its own quota with provisions, in so far as these were not drawn from the enemy's country. The soldier's recompense consisted In his share of the loot, the division of which was regulated by the precedent of 1 S 30^. The first mention of regular pay is in connexion with the army of Simon Maccabseus (1 Mac 14»). Foreign mercenaries figure largely in the armies of the later Maccabeean princes and of Herod. No reference has been made to the numbers of the Hebrew armies, since these have in so many cases been greatly corrupted in transmission.

For methods of mobilization, tactics, etc., see War,

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