The phrase "Armor of God" (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: panoplian tou Theou) is derived from Ephesians 6:11: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (King James Version).[1] As a biblical reference, the metaphor may refer to physical armour worn by God in metaphorical battles, or it may refer to vigilant righteousness in general as bestowed by the grace of God (Romans 13:12, King James Version): "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."
The full quotation is from Paul the Apostle's Epistle to the Ephesians 6:10–18, in the King James Bible:
Given the many points of contact between the Book of Wisdom and Paul's writings (particularly his Epistle to the Romans), it is perhaps not surprising that the imagery of the Armor of God would be used here. Compare the various elements of the whole armor of God mentioned in the Epistle to the Ephesians to Wisdom 5:17–20:
Other related passages, by Paul and references by later theologians, indicate a metaphorical context for the Armor of God. For instance, Paul's letter to the Romans indicates not a literal, but a figurative, application of the concept (Romans 13:12–14, New International Version):
In terms of the parts of the Armor of God, the various pieces (the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit) are correlated to what Paul would have witnessed firsthand as the arms and armor of Roman legionaries during his life in the Roman Empire.
The following biblical texts in Ephesians chapter 6 mention six pieces of armor:
These pieces are described in Ephesians as follows: loins girt with truth (belt of truth), breastplate of righteousness, shoes with the preparation of the gospel of peace (peace), shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit/word of God.[2]
The helmet of Salvation and the breastplate of Righteousness also appear in .[3] [4]