[B-Greek] hALUSIDWTOS as "chain mail"? (LXX)

bgreek at ntresources.com bgreek at ntresources.com
Mon Mar 17 09:42:05 EST 2003


1 Sam. 17:5 (tech. 1 Reigns in LXX) refers to Goliath's breastplate as being
comprised of bronze and iron hALUSIDWTOS, which Lust's LXX lexicon (1:22)
translates as "chain mail." (The word does not occur in BDAG.) L&S gives
"wrought in chain fashion." This word is obviously related to hALUSIS,
chain. But I wonder if "chain mail" might not be anachronistic given the
time reference of David and Goliath? (I would assume 11th C BC.) Did chain
mail exist that early? And in Palestine? My *impression* was that this was a
later development and that perhaps some form of scale armor would be the
more appropriate referent, esp. since the Heb text reads QASQESET, "scale
(of fish, etc.), ... scale armor" (BDB 903).

My question is, do we have evidence for chain mail at this time period? That
doesn't necessarily resolve the question of what hALUSIDWTOS normally means,
or why the LXX translators might have chosen hALUSIDWTOS, but it would be, I
think, a relevant question. (If chain mail was known by the 2d-3d C., the
LXX translators may have just used a common word for "armor" without
considering--or knowing--the history of that particular form of armor.)

If it is not attested this early, can hALUSIDWTOS refer to scale armor? Or
do we just chalk this up to a LXX anachronism?

====================================================
Rodney J. Decker, Th.D., Associate Prof/NT
Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA,USA
NTResources.com  PURL: purl.oclc.org/NT_Resources/
Email: <rdecker> at <NTResources.com> 
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