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Coat of Mail (Protective Bronze Armor)
Meaning
A “coat of mail” was body armor consisting of overlapping bronze plates. Much like fish scales each plate overlapped the one below it. The coat of mail usually covered the front and back torso. Coat of mail was the precursor to chain mail which came much later. Initially, it was an armor only worn by kings and high ranking soldiers. However, as the technology became more common regular soldiers began to wear it as well. On average for a normal size person, it took between four hundred and six hundred scales for a single piece of armor.
In addition, for those who could not afford the bronze, it was not uncommon to fashion something similar out of animal leather. However the bronze coat of mail afforded more protection, though it was much heavier and less maneuverable. For example, David in his battle with Goliath refused to wear the coat of mail belonging to King Saul’s because it was too heavy and was not maneuverable enough. The Bible also tells us that the skin of the Leviathan was like a double coat of mail.
“And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.” (Book of 1st Samuel 17:4-5)
“Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you’ So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David took them off.” (Book of 1st Samuel 17:37-39)
“And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, ‘Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.’ The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, ‘Every man to his city, and every man to his own country’ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.” (Book of 1st Kings 22:33-37)