Isaiah 5:27

5:27 None tire or stumble,

they don’t stop to nap or sleep.

They don’t loosen their belts,

or unstrap their sandals to rest. ¹ 

Isaiah 11:5

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,

integrity will be like a belt around his hips. ² 

Isaiah 22:21

22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. ³  He will become a protector of ⁴  the residents of Jerusalem and of the people ⁵  of Judah.

Ephesians 6:10

Exhortations for Spiritual Warfare

6:10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

Ephesians 6:14

6:14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening ⁶  the belt of truth around your waist, ⁷  by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,

[5:27]  ¹ tn Heb “and the belt on his waist is not opened, and the thong of his sandals is not torn in two.”

[11:5]  ² tn Heb “Justice will be the belt [or “undergarment”] on his waist, integrity the belt [or “undergarment”] on his hips.” The point of the metaphor is uncertain. If a belt worn outside the robe is in view, then the point might be that justice/integrity will be readily visible or that these qualities will give support to his rule. If an undergarment is in view, then the idea might be that these characteristics support his rule or that they are basic to everything else.

[22:21]  ³ tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”

[22:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.

[22:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[6:14]  ⁶ sn The four participles fastening… putting on…fitting…taking up… indicate the means by which believers can take their stand against the devil and his schemes. The imperative take in v. 17 communicates another means by which to accomplish the standing, i.e., by the word of God.

[6:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “girding your waist with truth.” In this entire section the author is painting a metaphor for his readers based on the attire of a Roman soldier prepared for battle and its similarity to the Christian prepared to do battle against spiritually evil forces. Behind the expression “with truth” is probably the genitive idea “belt of truth.” Since this is an appositional genitive (i.e., belt which is truth), the author simply left unsaid the idea of the belt and mentioned only his real focus, namely, the truth. (The analogy would have been completely understandable to his 1st century readers.) The idea of the belt is supplied in the translation to clarify the sense in English.