Ephesians 6:17

6:17 And take the helmet of salvation ¹  and the sword ²  of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

[6:17]  ¹ sn An allusion to Isa 59:17.

[6:17]  ² sn The Greek term translated sword (μάχαιρα, macaira) refers to the Roman gladius, a short sword about 2 ft (60 cm) long, used for close hand-to-hand combat. This is the only clearly offensive weapon in the list of armor mentioned by the author (he does not, for example, mention the lance [Latin pilum]).