1 Samuel 17:5

1 Samuel 17:5

And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

a. NLT: He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: And a helmet of brass is on his head, and with a scaled coat of mail he is clothed, and the weight of the coat of mail is five thousand shekels of brass, [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And he had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of mail, and the coat weighed 5,000 shekels of bronze. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: [He had] a copper helmet on his head, and was wearing armor of mail; the weight of the armor [was] five thousand copper shekels. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail…”

a. [And he had] a helmet [Strong: 3553 kowba` ko'-bah from an unused root meaning to be high or rounded; a helmet (as arched):--helmet.]

b. [of] brass [Strong: 5178 nchosheth nekh-o'-sheth for 5154; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver):--brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.]

c. on [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with]

d. [his] head [Strong: 7218 ro'sh roshe from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.):--band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, X every (man), excellent, first, forefront, ((be-))head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), X lead, X poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.]

d. [and] he [was] [Strong: 1931 huw' hoo of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.]

e. armed [Strong: 3847 labash law-bash' or labesh {law-bashe'}; a primitive root; properly, wrap around, i.e. (by implication) to put on a garment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively:--(in) apparel, arm, array (self), clothe (self), come upon, put (on, upon), wear.]

f. [with a] coat [Strong: 8302 shiryown shir-yone' or shiryon {shir-yone'}; and shiryan {shir- yawn'}; also (feminine) shiryah {shir-yaw'}; and shiryonah {shir-yo-naw'}; from 8281 in the original sense of turning; a corslet (as if twisted):--breastplate, coat of mail, habergeon, harness.]

g. [of] mail [Strong: 7193 qasqeseth kas-keh'-seth by reduplication from an unused root meaning to shale off as bark; a scale (of a fish); hence a coat of mail (as composed of or covered with jointed plates of metal):--mail, scale.]

1). Albert Barnes Commentary: Coat of mail - Or "breastplate of scales." A kind of metal shirt, protecting the back as well as the breast, and made of scales like those of a fish; as was the corselet of Rameses III, now in the British Museum.

2). Adam Clarke Commentary: The words in the original, שרון קשקשים shiryon kaskassim, mean a coat of mail formed of plates of brass overlapping each other, like the scales of a fish, or tiles of a house. This is the true notion of the original terms.

2. “…and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.”

a. [and the] weight [Strong: 4948 mishqal mish-kawl' from 8254; weight (numerically estimated); hence, weighing (the act):--(full) weight.]

b. [of the] coat [Strong: 8302 shiryown shir-yone' or shiryon {shir-yone'}; and shiryan {shir- yawn'}; also (feminine) shiryah {shir-yaw'}; and shiryonah {shir-yo-naw'}; from 8281 in the original sense of turning; a corslet (as if twisted):--breastplate, coat of mail, habergeon, harness.] 

c. [was] five [Strong: 2568 chamesh khaw-maysh' masculine chamishshah {kham-ish-shaw}; a primitive numeral; five:--fif(-teen), fifth, five (X apiece).]

d. thousand [Strong: 505 'eleph eh'-lef prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand:--thousand.]

e. shekels [Strong: 8255 sheqel sheh'-kel from 8254; probably a weight; used as a commercial standard:--shekel.]

f. [of] brass [Strong: 5178 nchosheth nekh-o'-sheth for 5154; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver):--brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.]

1). Albert Barnes Commentary: Five thousand shekels - Probably about 157 pounds…

2). Adam Clarke Commentary:  Following Bishop Cumberland's tables, and rating the shekel at two hundred and nineteen grains, and the Roman ounce at four hundred and thirty-eight grains, we find that Goliath's coat of mail, weighing five thousand shekels, was exactly one hundred and fifty-six pounds four ounces avoirdupois. A vast weight for a coat of mail, but not all out of proportion to the man.

a). Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall.