And above all, arm yourselves with the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one.
6:16 — “Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one.” The Roman soldier’s shield was large and rectangular like a door. Hitting the shield, the flaming darts went out and their tips broke. Satan has many darts. His darts produce in the heart and conduct the carnal things mentioned in Gal 5:19-21, and in the other catalogs of sin. But with the shield of faith we can put them out.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
the shield of faith the θυρεος was a large oblong shield, or scuta, like a gate, ���� , made of wood and covered with fur. Gen 15:1; Ps 56:3, Ps 56:4, Ps 56:10, Ps 56:11; pro 18:10; 2Co 1:24; 2Co 4:16-18; Hebrews 6:17, Hebrews 6:18; Hebrews 11:24-34; 1Pe 5:8, 1Pe 5:9; 1Jn 5:4, 1Jn 5:5.
put out all the darts. 1Thess 5:19.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
Above all can mean that The shield It has to be used against any threat. It can also mean that the shield must cover the entire armor. The average size of the Roman soldier’s shield was approximately 1.10 meters wide by 1.80 meters high. The Christian’s shield offers protection against all the fiery darts of the evil one. Burning arrows could not penetrate the fireproof shield of the ancient Roman soldier. Neither can Satan’s attacks break the believer who puts his faith in God.
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
the shield of faith This Greek word generally refers to the large shield (about 80 cm wide by 1.40 m long) that protected the entire body. The faith to which Paul refers is not the body of Christian doctrine (as in the case of the term used in Eph 4:13), but to a basic trust in God. The believer’s continued trust in God’s words and promises “above all else” is absolutely necessary to protect him from temptations to sin of all kinds. All sin results in the victim falling prey to Satan’s lies and promises of pleasure, and the unfaithful decision to reject the correct alternative of God’s obedience and blessing. fire darts The temptations resemble incendiary arrows launched by the enemy and that go out when they come into contact with the thick shield that is impregnated with oil (cp. Salt 18:30; Pro 30:5-6; 1Jn 5:4).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
6:16 — “Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.” The Roman soldier’s shield was large and rectangular like a door. Hitting the shield, the flaming darts went out and their tips broke. Satan has many darts.
His darts produce in the heart and conduct the carnal things mentioned in Gal 5:19-21, and in the other catalogs of sin. But with the shield of faith we can put them out.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
The words with which this verse is introduced are important: Above all points out the importance of the shield of faith over everything else (thus DHH). However, there are other possibilities. It can also be translated: “In addition to all this” (NIV), that is, along with the other parts of the armor. “For everything” (BJ and BP). At the beginning of v. Eph 6:16 the Textus Receptus has the greek epi passion What does it mean above all. The oldest and best manuscripts have the reading in passion, throughout. The versions are divided as to which variant they follow. A literal translation of the Greek in its best variant is “in all things.” It can mean “at all times” (NTE), “always” (BJ, BNM, LPD, BL, NBE), or “at all times/circumstances”, with a temporal sense. The TLA ignores the clause entirely.
There were shields of various sizes. Here Paul is perhaps thinking of a shield large that protected the whole body (Polybius). The soldier held it with one hand in front of him. It was made of two layers of wood, covered with cloth and leather. It was soaked in water before battle to quench any burning arrows the enemy might fire at the soldier (NTE). By associating the shield with Faith (cf. Eph 1:15) the author thus points out that trust in God and security in his love are the best protection against the attacks of the evil one (cf. Gen 15:1; Ps 5:12; Ps 18:3, Salt 18:31; Ps 28:7; Salt 33:20. See also 1Pe 5:9 and the central role that faith has in this card: Eph 1:1, Eph 1:13, Eph 1:15, Eph 1:19; Eph 2:8; Eph 3:12, Eph 3:17; Eph 4:5, Eph 4:13; Eph 6:16). It can also indicate the faithfulness and perseverance of the believer (Rev 12:11). A possible translation is: “the shield, that is, faith”, or “faith as a shield”. There are those who choose to give faith the objective meaning of what we believe, the biblical doctrines and teachings. This is reinforced by the fact that the Greek text has a definite article in faith, so that it literally reads the shield of faith In her notes to the translator (NTE), Elaine Thomas suggests the following translations: “You must have faith (trust, believe in) in Jesus. Your faith will protect you when Satan attacks you, it will be like a shield that the soldier holds in front of him to protect himself” or “If a Christian keeps trusting in Jesus Christ, his faith will protect him as the shield protects the soldier, no matter how Dangerous are the attacks of the evil one, Satan.”
It was common in battles in those days to dip the arrowhead in pitch and then light it. In this way a greater havoc was made in the enemy ranks. That image is used by the author to illustrate the nature of the attacks of our multiple enemies and the way we must defend ourselves against them: with which you can extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one. Faith is the instrument to defend ourselves from the powerful attacks that the enemy launches at us.
What do those consist of? fire darts? The best interpretation is the one that understands those darts in the context of what the author has said in the letter. The main “attacks” have to do with the fear of evil spirits and slavery to them, expressed in astrology and magical practices that captivated people under their power (Eph 1:20-23); quarrels and hatred within the community, which destroy unity (Eph 4:1-3, Eph 4:26-27); temptations that come from the dominant culture, “world”, and that mold the person and form his worldview. Among them stand out sexual immorality and greed (Eph 4:17-19; Eph 5:3-7). And the values and principles expressed in power and interpersonal relationships, the patron-client relationship in which adoration and unconditional loyalty are given in response to favors received. Hierarchical relationships in which obedience is achieved based on terror and military power (Caesar and empire), and the strong social and economic control that were the basis of society and family. These were powerful temptations in the daily life of the Christian communities of Asia Minor. They were darts of fire that ended people’s lives and humanity.
If bows and arrows are not used in the culture or community of the translation team, this figure of speech can be confusing and difficult to explain in their language. If that is the case, the text can be translated more generally, for example: “Your faith will be like a shield that you put up in front of you to protect you from all the weapons/dangerous things that the evil one throws at you” (NTE). The evil it is a clear allusion to Satan, the devil.
if the word evil one is not appropriate for the culture into which it is being translated, you must choose the expression that best communicates the idea. The text refers to the devil or Satan as the ultimate leader of the evil forces. In some cases it can be translated as “the greatest evil spirit”, “the most evil spirit”.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
CROSS-REFERENCES
j 354 1Jn 5:4
k355 1Pe 5:9
Source: New World Translation
16 (1) We take up the shield of faith to protect ourselves against the attacks of the enemy.
16 (two) We need to gird our loins with truth, cover our conscience with justice, shod our feet with peace, and protect our whole being with the shield of faith. If we live for God as reality (truth), we have justice (4:24), and justice produces peace (Heb_12:11; Isa_32:17). Having all this, we can easily have faith as a shield against the fiery darts of the evil one. Christ is the Author and Perfecter of such faith (Heb_12:2). In order to stand firm in battle, we need to be equipped with these four pieces of the armor of God.
16 (3) The fiery darts are Satan’s temptations, proposals, doubts, questions, lies and attacks. Fire darts were used by warriors in the time of the apostles. The apostle used this term to describe Satan’s attacks on us.
Source: New Testament Commentary Recovery Version
M77 Ἐν ᾧ means: with which.
M78 Ἐν πᾶσιν perhaps means: in the midst of, or in spite of all these things (comp. Neh 10:1).
Source: Grammar Help for the Study of the Greek New Testament
Or above all