Sword

The sword was one of the earliest objects made of iron. People used swords for stabbing or striking.

A stabbing sword had a long, straight blade that narrowed to a point. Both edges were sharp, so the sword could also cut.

A striking sword had one sharp edge and one thick, blunt edge. It was often curved like a sickle, a tool used to cut grain. The outer edge was sharp. The earliest sickle swords appeared late in the third millennium BC. The handle and blade were made from one piece of metal.

During the Middle Bronze Age, the curved striking sword looked like an ax. It had a long handle and a short blade.

This type of sword disappeared during the Late Bronze Age. It was not effective against helmets and body armor. A new design replaced it. This sword had a curved blade that was as long as, or longer than, its handle.

The new sword worked well in chariot battles and against enemies who did not wear armor. This may explain why the Bible says that Joshua struck the Canaanites with "the edge of the sword" (for example, Joshua 8:24; 10:28–39). This expression would not describe an attack with a short, straight, narrow sword that a soldier pushed into an enemy.

Archaeologists found a well-made curved sword at Gezer. It dates to the fourteenth century BC. An ivory carving from Megiddo also shows this type of sword. The carving dates to the thirteenth century BC.

Improved methods of forging iron also made straight swords more effective. Forging means shaping metal by heating and hammering it. The Sea Peoples were groups that fought and migrated around the eastern Mediterranean region. They included the Philistines and were skilled in using weapons for close combat.

By the thirteenth century BC, they had improved the straight sword. It became more effective than the curved sword.

By the time of Saul, the Philistines had strong cities and controlled much of the region by military power. Their strength came from chariots and well-armed infantry, or soldiers who fought on foot.

The Philistines controlled the production of iron. They did not allow the Israelites to make their own weapons (compare 1 Samuel 13:19–22). Israel could not successfully challenge the Philistines until this situation changed.

See also Armor and Weapons.