Hebrew word · H3553

כּוֹבַע

vekhoa'

helmet

A helmet. A by-form qôḇaʿ appears in 1 Samuel 17:38 and Ezekiel 23:24. The word is probably borrowed from a non-Semitic language of Anatolia or the region to its east (compare Hittite kupaḫi, a type of headgear).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

helmet

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 38:5

Range of meaning

A helmet. A by-form qôḇaʿ appears in 1 Samuel 17:38 and Ezekiel 23:24. The word is probably borrowed from a non-Semitic language of Anatolia or the region to its east (compare Hittite kupaḫi, a type of headgear).

Against the English

'Helmet' in all versions.

Used elsewhere in the period

Goliath's bronze helmet (1 Samuel 17:5). Uzziah equipped his army with shields, spears and helmets (2 Chronicles 26:14). God puts on a 'helmet of salvation' in Isaiah 59:17, the image Paul later picks up. Ezekiel 27:10 has the same 'shield and helmet' pair for Persia, Lud and Put.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 17:5 וְכ֤וֹבַע and a helmet of

    and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 26:14 וְכ֣וֹבָעִ֔ים and helmets

    Uzziah supplied the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 59:17 וְכ֥וֹבַע and a helmet of

    He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.

    Here: A war helmet, the same word used for Goliath's bronze helmet (1 Sam 17:5). Here it is tied to the next word: 'helmet of salvation.'

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 46:4 בְּכ֥וֹבָעִ֑ים with helmets

    Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears; put on armor!

    Here: 'With helmets' on. Soldiers put on their helmets only when the fight was about to start, so this is the final moment before contact.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 27:10 וְכוֹבַע֙ and helmet

    Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put served as warriors in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls; they gave you splendor.

    Here: A helmet, probably of bronze or leather. A shield and a helmet together stand for a soldier's full kit, and so for the soldiers themselves.

  2. Ezekiel 38:5 וְכוֹבָֽע׃ and helmet

    Persia, Cush, and Put will accompany them, all with shields and helmets,

    Here: A metal or leather helmet. Together with 'shield' it makes a stock phrase for a properly armed fighter. Ezekiel used exactly this pair for Persia, Lud and Put as Tyre's mercenaries in 27:10.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.