Topical Bible: Arrows

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Topical Encyclopedia

Arrows, as mentioned in the Bible, are often symbolic of warfare, judgment, and divine intervention. They are frequently associated with the imagery of battle and are used both literally and metaphorically throughout the Scriptures.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, arrows are commonly depicted as instruments of war. They are part of the armament of ancient warriors and are often mentioned alongside bows. For instance, in 1 Samuel 20:36-37, Jonathan uses arrows as a signal to David, demonstrating their practical use in communication and warfare. The Berean Standard Bible states: "Then Jonathan said to the boy, 'Run and find the arrows I shoot.' And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him."

Arrows are also used metaphorically to describe the swift and piercing nature of God's judgment. In Deuteronomy 32:23, God declares, "I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows against them." Here, arrows symbolize the various calamities and judgments that God will unleash upon the disobedient.

The Psalms frequently use arrows to describe the attacks of the wicked or the protection of the righteous. Psalm 91:5 assures the faithful: "You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day." This verse highlights the protective power of God over His people, shielding them from both visible and invisible threats.

New Testament References

While the New Testament does not frequently mention arrows, the imagery persists in the context of spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:16 advises believers to take up "the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Here, arrows represent the spiritual attacks and temptations that Christians face, and faith is depicted as the defense against such assaults.

Symbolism and Interpretation

Arrows in the Bible often symbolize speed, precision, and the inevitability of divine will. They can represent both the destructive power of God's wrath and the protection He offers to His people. In prophetic literature, arrows are sometimes used to depict the swift execution of God's plans, as seen in Habakkuk 3:11 : "Sun and moon stood still in their places at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of Your shining spear."

In a broader theological context, arrows can be seen as a reminder of the dual nature of God's character—His justice and His mercy. While they can signify judgment and destruction, they also underscore the protection and deliverance available to those who trust in Him.

Cultural and Historical Context

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, arrows were a common part of military equipment. They were typically made of wood with metal or stone tips and were used by archers in battle. The skill of an archer was highly valued, and arrows were considered essential for both offense and defense in warfare.

The biblical use of arrows reflects this historical context, as they were a familiar and potent symbol to the original audience. The imagery of arrows would have resonated deeply with the people of ancient Israel, who understood their significance in both physical and spiritual battles.

Overall, arrows in the Bible serve as a powerful metaphor for the various ways God interacts with humanity, whether through judgment, protection, or the fulfillment of His divine purposes.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Arrows

[ARMS, ARMOR]

Easton's Bible Dictionary

At first made of reeds, and then of wood tipped with iron. Arrows are sometimes figuratively put for lightning (Deuteronomy 32:23, 42; Psalm 7:13; 18:14; 144:6; Zechariah 9:14). They were used in war as well as in the chase (Genesis 27:3; 49:23). They were also used in divination (Ezek. 21:21).

The word is frequently employed as a symbol of calamity or disease inflicted by God (Job 6:4; 34:6; Psalm 38:2; Deuteronomy 32:23. Comp. Ezek. 5:16), or of some sudden danger (Psalm 91:5), or bitter words (Psalm 64:3), or false testimony (Proverbs 25:18).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ARROWS, DIVINATION BY

See AUGURY, IV, 1.

Greek

956b. belos -- a missile
... belos. 957 . a missile. Transliteration: belos Short Definition: arrows. Word
Origin from ballo Definition a missile NASB Word Usage arrows (1). 956a, 956b ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/956b.htm - 5k

Strong's Hebrew

8522. teli -- a quiver (with its arrows)
... 8521, 8522. teli. 8523 . a quiver (with its arrows). Transliteration:
teli Phonetic Spelling: (tel-ee') Short Definition: quiver. ...
/hebrew/8522.htm - 6k

827. ashpah -- a quiver (for arrows)
... 826, 827. ashpah. 828 . a quiver (for arrows). Transliteration: ashpah
Phonetic Spelling: (ash-paw') Short Definition: quiver. Word ...
/hebrew/827.htm - 6k

2686b. chatsats -- to shoot arrows
... 2686a, 2686b. chatsats. 2687 . to shoot arrows. Transliteration: chatsats
Short Definition: divide. Word Origin denominative verb ...
/hebrew/2686b.htm - 5k

2671. chets -- arrow
... 2670, 2671. chets. 2672 . arrow. Transliteration: chets Phonetic Spelling:
(khayts) Short Definition: arrows. Word Origin from chatsats ...
/hebrew/2671.htm - 6k

7198. qesheth -- a bow
... Word Origin perhaps from qush Definition a bow NASB Word Usage archers* (3), arrows
(1), bow (54), bowman* (1), bowmen (1), bows (13), bowshot* (1), rainbow (1 ...
/hebrew/7198.htm - 6k

7228. rab -- an archer
... Short Definition: archer. Word Origin from rabab Definition an archer NASB
Word Usage archer (1), arrows (1). archer. By contraction ...
/hebrew/7228.htm - 6k

1121. ben -- son
... root Definition son NASB Word Usage afflicted (1), afflicted* (1), age (7), aliens*
(2), Ammonites* (7), anointed* (1), arrow (1), arrows (1), Assyrians* (3 ...
/hebrew/1121.htm - 8k

Library

A Sheaf of Prayer Arrows
... VOLUME II: PSALMS LI to CXLV A SHEAF OF PRAYER ARROWS. ... We have here a sheaf
of arrows out of a good man's quiver, shot into heaven. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/a sheaf of prayer arrows.htm

The Arrows of Conviction.
... The Arrows of Conviction. I remember while preaching in Glasgow, an incident
occurred which I will relate. I had been preaching ...
/.../moody/moodys anecdotes and illustrations/the arrows of conviction.htm

Psalm XXXVIII.
... 4. "For Thine arrows stick fast in me, and Thy hand presseth me sore" (ver.2).
"There is no soundness in my flesh, from the face of Thine anger" (ver.3). He ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xxxviii.htm

Jonathan's Love for David
... I will shoot three arrows on one side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
Then I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/jonathans love for david.htm

Faithful unto Death.
... Then Jonathan said he would come out and shoot three arrows from his bow, as if
he were shooting at a mark, and he would send his arrow-bearer to pick them up. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxi faithful unto death.htm

Friendship; Or, David and Jonathan
... He will shoot three arrows toward the place where David is in hiding; and if he
says to his bow-bearer, The arrows are on this side of thee, David is to come ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/david/sermon v friendship or david.htm

Among the Orderlies at the Castle was one David...
... Being bidden, he sang, as she had sung who hushed the revels of Antipater,
of signs and fears and of arrows to fly as the lightning. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 14 among the orderlies.htm

Psalm LVII.
... "Their teeth are arms and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." Do not consider
the ... They an evil sword, He a good sword: they evil arrows, He good arrows. ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lvii.htm

Psalm CXX.
... For He answers following up his own inquiry, "even sharp arrows of the Mighty One,
with coals that desolate, or that lay waste" (ver.4). They that desolate, or ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxx.htm

The Life of St. Christopher
... And when the king saw that, he commanded that he should be bound to a strong stake,
and that he should be through-shotten with arrows with forty knights archers ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the life of st christopher.htm

Thesaurus

Arrows (59 Occurrences)
...Arrows are sometimes figuratively put for lightning (Deuteronomy 32:23, 42; Psalm
7:13; 18:14; 144:6; Zechariah 9:14). ...ARROWS, DIVINATION BY. See AUGURY, IV, 1. ...
/a/arrows.htm - 25k

Arrow (34 Occurrences)
... (BBE NIV). 1 Samuel 20:21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying,'Go, find the arrows!'
If I tell the boy,'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. ...
/a/arrow.htm - 17k

Quiver (9 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary The sheath for arrows. ... 4. (n.) A case or sheath for arrows
to be carried on the person. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. QUIVER. ...
/q/quiver.htm - 11k

Augury (5 Occurrences)
... audible sounds of animals, including serpents; (4) signs from the examination of
the entrails of animals; (5) belomancy, or divination by arrows; (6) sortilege ...
/a/augury.htm - 17k

Shooting (13 Occurrences)
... the ground. (YLT). 1 Samuel 20:20 And I will shoot three arrows to the
side-ward, as though I shot at a mark. (See NIV). 1 Samuel ...
/s/shooting.htm - 10k

Bows (28 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 12:2 They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and
the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were ...
/b/bows.htm - 15k

Shoot (51 Occurrences)
... YLT). 1 Samuel 20:20 I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I
shot at a mark. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/s/shoot.htm - 24k

Bowmen (13 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 12:2 They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and
the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow; they were ...
/b/bowmen.htm - 10k

Archery
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The use of the bow and arrows in battle, hunting,
etc.; the art, practice, or skill of shooting with a bow and arrows. ...
/a/archery.htm - 9k

Flames (54 Occurrences)
... (BBE). 2 Samuel 22:15 And he sent out his arrows, driving them in all
directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled. (BBE). ...
/f/flames.htm - 22k

Resources

What is the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)? | GotQuestions.org

What was the relationship between David and Jonathan? | GotQuestions.org

What is the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Arrows (59 Occurrences)

Ephesians 6:16
And most of all, using faith as a cover to keep off all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.
(BBE NAS NIV)

Genesis 27:3
So take your arrows and your bow and go out to the field and get meat for me;
(BBE)

Genesis 49:23
He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:
(BBE)

Exodus 19:13
He is not to be touched by a hand, but is to be stoned or have an arrow put through him; man or beast, he is to be put to death: at the long sounding of a horn they may come up to the mountain.
(See NIV)

Numbers 21:30
They are wounded with our arrows; destruction has come on Heshbon, even to Dibon; and we have made the land waste as far as Nophah, stretching out to Medeba.
(BBE)

Numbers 24:8
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 32:23
"I will heap evils on them. I will spend my arrows on them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 32:42
I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the leaders of the enemy."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 20:20
I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 20:21
Behold, I will send the boy, saying,'Go, find the arrows!' If I tell the boy,'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as Yahweh lives.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 20:22
But if I say this to the boy,'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 20:36
He said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 20:38
Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast! Hurry! Don't delay!" Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV)

1 Samuel 20:40
And Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy, and said to him, Take these and go back to the town.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 11:20
it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he asks you,'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn't you know that they would shoot from the wall?
(See NIV)

2 Samuel 11:24
And the archers sent their arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's servants are dead, and among them is your servant Uriah the Hittite.
(BBE NIV)

2 Samuel 22:15
He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and confused them. The Second Book of Kings
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 13:15
Elisha said to him, "Take bow and arrows;" and he took to him bow and arrows.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 13:18
He said, "Take the arrows;" and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground;" and he struck three times, and stopped.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 12:2
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul's brothers of Benjamin.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 26:15
He made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and on the battlements, with which to shoot arrows and great stones. His name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, until he was strong.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 35:23
And the bowmen sent their arrows at King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am badly wounded.
(BBE)

Job 6:4
For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God set themselves in array against me.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 16:12
I was in comfort, but I have been broken up by his hands; he has taken me by the neck, shaking me to bits; he has put me up as a mark for his arrows.
(BBE)

Job 16:13
His bowmen come round about me; their arrows go through my body without mercy; my life is drained out on the earth.
(BBE DBY NAS)

Job 27:22
God sends his arrows against him without mercy; he goes in flight before his hand.
(BBE)

Psalms 7:13
He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death. He makes ready his flaming arrows.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 11:2
For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
(WEB BBE NIV)

Psalms 18:14
He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 21:12
Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
(KJV WBS)

Psalms 38:2
For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 45:5
Your arrows are sharp. The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king's enemies.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 57:4
My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 58:7
Let them vanish as water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS NIV)

Psalms 64:3
who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS RSV NIV)

Psalms 64:4
So that in secret they may let loose their arrows at the upright, suddenly and unseen.
(BBE)

Psalms 64:7
But God doth shoot at them with an arrow suddenly; thence are their wounds.
(See NIV)

Psalms 76:3
There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 77:17
The clouds poured out water. The skies resounded with thunder. Your arrows also flashed around.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 120:4
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 127:4
As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 144:6
Throw out lightning, and scatter them. Send out your arrows, and rout them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Proverbs 26:18
Like a madman who shoots torches, arrows, and death,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 5:28
whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent. Their horses' hoofs will be like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 7:24
People will go there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Isaiah 22:6
And Elam was armed with arrows, and Aram came on horseback; and the breastplate of Kir was uncovered.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 5:16
Their arrows give certain death, they are all men of war.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 50:9
For, behold, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from there she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 50:14
Set yourselves in array against Babylon all around, all you who bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she has sinned against Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 51:11
Make sharp the arrows; hold firm the shields: Yahweh has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it: for it is the vengeance of Yahweh, the vengeance of his temple.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Lamentations 3:12
With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.
(BBE NIV)

Lamentations 3:13
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
(KJV JPS BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 5:16
when I shall send on them the evil arrows of famine, that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine on you, and will break your staff of bread;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 21:21
For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 39:3
and I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 39:9
Those who dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the war clubs, and the spears, and they shall make fires of them seven years;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Habakkuk 3:9
You uncovered your bow. You called for your sworn arrows. Selah. You split the earth with rivers.
(WEB RSV NIV)

Habakkuk 3:11
The sun and moon stood still in the sky, at the light of your arrows as they went, at the shining of your glittering spear.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Zechariah 9:13
For I have made Judah a bow bent for my use, I have made Ephraim the arrows of the bow; I will make your sons, O Zion, take up arms against your sons, O Greece, and will make you like the sword of a man of war.
(BBE)

Subtopics

Arrows

Arrows of Bitter Words

Arrows of Christ

Arrows of Devices of the Wicked

Arrows of False Witnesses

Arrows of God's Judgment

Arrows of Lightnings

Arrows of Severe Afflictions

Arrows of Slanderous Tongues

Arrows of the Word of Christ

Arrows of Young Children