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H2488 · Hebrew · Old Testament
חֲלִיצָה
chalitsah
Noun, feminine
armor, spoil (stripped from enemy)

Definition

Equipment stripped from a fallen warrior — armor, weapons, or garments taken as spoils of battle. Represents both military victory and the transfer of power from the defeated to the victor.

Usage & Theological Significance

Stripping armor from the fallen is deeply symbolic in Scripture. When David defeated Goliath, he took the giant's weapons (1 Sam 17:54). When Saul fell, the Philistines stripped his armor (1 Sam 31:9). Paul's spiritual warfare passage (Eph 6:10–18) echoes this: believers put ON armor because Christ has stripped it FROM the enemy. The cross was the ultimate chalitsah — Christ 'disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame' (Col 2:15).

Key Bible Verses

2 Samuel 2:21 Turn aside and seize one of the young men and take his armor [chalitsah].
Judges 14:19 He struck down thirty men and took their spoil [chalitsah].
1 Samuel 31:9 They stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout Philistia.
Isaiah 59:17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may stand against the schemes of the devil.

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