SHIELD. In Scripture, God is often call’d Gen. xv. 1. Psal. v. 12.the Shield of his People: I am thy Shield, says God to Abraham. The Psalmist says, Thou, Lord, wilt bless the Righteous; with Favour wilt thou compass him, as with a Shield. Princes and Great Men are also call’d 2 Sam. i. 21. Ps. xlvii. 9.the Shield of the People. Saul is call’d the Shield of Israel. The Shields of the Earth belong unto God, or are in his Dependance. The Septuagint have it; The strong Gods of the Earth have greatly exalted themselves.
They hung their Shields upon Towers for Ornaments, and to make use of upon Occasion. The Tower of David was adorn’d with a thousand Shields, which hung round about it. There were to be found Arms of Cant. iv. 4.all kinds: Mille clypei pendent ex ea, omnis armatura fortium. The Maccabees adorn’d the Front of the Temple with Shields 1 Macc. iv. 57.which they hung thereon: Ornaverunt faciem templi coronis aureis & scutulis. They took them down from thence when there was Occasion to march against the Enemy: Isai. xxii. 16.Parietem nudavit clypeus. Ezekiel says, that the Persians, the Lydians, and the Lybians had hung up their Shields in Tyre, for an Ornament to that City: Clypeum & galeam Ezekiel xxvii. 10.suspenderunt in te, pro ornatu tuo.
The common Materials of a Shield were Wood: It was cover’d with Leather, with Plates of Gold, or Brass. Sometimes they were made all of Gold, or Brass. Those that Solomon made were of massy Gold. Shishak King of Egypt took these away, and Rehoboam made others of Brass to serve in their stead. Goliah’s Shield was of Brass. Nahum 1 Sam. xvii. 45. Nahum ii. 3.describes the Shields of the Chaldeans as all bright and sparkling. The Psalmist says, that God shall cause Peace to reign among his People, and that they shall throw their Shields into the Fire: Et scuta comburet igni, Psal. xlv. 10. These Shields therefore were of Wood.