Topical Bible: Military Arms of the Vanquished: Taken off Them

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In the biblical narrative, the practice of taking military arms from the vanquished is a recurring theme, reflecting the customs and warfare strategies of ancient times. This practice not only symbolized the defeat of the enemy but also served as a means to strengthen the victor's military capabilities and morale. The confiscation of weapons and armor from defeated foes is documented in several instances throughout the Scriptures, illustrating both divine intervention and human strategy in warfare.

One of the earliest examples is found in the account of David and Goliath. After David, a young shepherd, defeats the Philistine giant with a sling and a stone, he takes Goliath's sword and uses it to behead him. This act is recorded in 1 Samuel 17:51: "David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from its sheath. And when he had killed him, he cut off his head with the sword." This not only signifies David's victory but also serves as a tangible symbol of God's deliverance and the transfer of power.

In another instance, the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, conquer the city of Ai. After their victory, they are instructed to take the livestock and spoil of the city as plunder for themselves (Joshua 8:27). This directive highlights the practice of seizing the resources and weapons of the defeated to bolster the victors' own supplies and armaments.

The account of King Saul and the Amalekites further illustrates this practice. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul is commanded by God to destroy the Amalekites completely, sparing no one and taking no plunder. However, Saul disobeys by sparing King Agag and the best of the livestock. This disobedience leads to his rejection as king, underscoring the importance of following divine commands in warfare, even regarding the spoils of war.

The capture of military arms from the vanquished is also evident in the account of the Israelites' battles against the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 31:8-9, after the death of Saul and his sons, the Philistines strip the bodies of their armor and weapons, displaying them as trophies of victory. This act of taking arms from the defeated not only serves as a practical acquisition of resources but also as a psychological tool to demoralize the enemy and celebrate triumph.

Throughout the biblical text, the taking of military arms from the vanquished is portrayed as both a strategic necessity and a divine provision. It reflects the realities of ancient warfare, where the spoils of battle were integral to sustaining and equipping armies. Moreover, these accounts often emphasize the sovereignty of God in granting victory and the importance of obedience to His commands in the conduct of war.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Samuel 2:21
And Abner said to him, Turn you aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay you hold on one of the young men, and take you his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 11:22
But when a stronger than he shall come on him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Doctrine of Non-Resistance to Evil by Force Has Been Professed ...
... be corrected by error, and evil cannot be vanquished by evil ... people should and can
refuse to eater military service ... to defend their country, to bear arms, or at ...
/.../tolstoy/the kingdom of god is within you/chapter i the doctrine of.htm

Of the Religion of Mahomet.
... by himself or his lieutenants, fifty military enterprises ... plunder, of freedom and
victory, of arms and rapine ... the conditions which he proposed to the vanquished. ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/section iii of the religion.htm

Letter cxxxviii. (AD 412. )
... would rather be to cast away their arms, and withdraw themselves wholly from military
service; whereas ... Revenge the vanquished world of our victorious arms. ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cxxxviii a d 412.htm

Canaan
... Military roads connected the Hittite cities of Cappadocia with ... But the vanquished
population was deprived of the means ... were forbidden the use of arms, and no ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter ii canaan.htm

The Census of Israel
... to destruction; and for this their military strength needed ... How many are quite unable
to bear arms against the ... of war laid down his weapons, vanquished by the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the census of israel.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty
... not readily place under arms such enormous ... Egyptian military organisation had remained
practically unchanged ... as tribute paid by the vanquished are frequently ...
/.../chapter iiithe eighteenth theban dynasty.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... Even the idols of the vanquished shared the fate of ... When a war was imminent, a military
levy was made ... Considerable quantities of all these arms were stored in ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Women who Witnessed the Fall of Rome
... a boy, and Justina possessed no military command. ... against his domestic foes, while
he vanquished in the ... He carried his conquering arms into Italy, spreading a ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/vii women who witnessed the.htm

The Church as She Should Be
... Little is being done in military, circles when the banners are put away ... Up with the
standard, ye brave men at arms; let all eyes ... Till every foe is vanquished. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the church as she should.htm

The Antiquities of the Jews
... Who When They Came Into Judea, Were Vanquished By The ... Suffered For Using A Boundless
And Military Liberty Of ... Necessitated The Jews To Take Up Arms Against The ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/