And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
What does Ephesians 6:17 mean?
Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Ephesians 6:14-18 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: And take the helmet - The helmet was a cap made of thick leather, or brass, fitted to the head, and was usually crowned with a plume, or crest, as an ornament. Its use was to guard the head from a blow by a sword, or war-club, or battle-axe. The cuts will show its usual form. Of salvation - That is, "of the hope of salvation;" for so it is expressed in the parallel place in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 .
Context in Ephesians 6
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Ephesians 6 belongs to the closing movement of the book, especially the section often described as household life and spiritual warfare. Ephesians presents the church as Christ’s body and temple, chosen in grace, united across dividing walls, and called to mature holy life. Read this chapter with the wider themes of union with Christ, church, and grace in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Bible verses about suffering and trials
Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.
Central texts on sin, grace, faith, Christ’s saving work, and the Bible’s announcement that salvation is received rather than achieved.
Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.