Word Study for H8302 (שִׁרְיוֹן)

shiryôwn /shir-yone'/ Ask about this word

Rootor שִׁרְיֹן · and שִׁרְיָן

Meaningalso (feminine) שִׁרְיָה; and שִׁרְיֹנָה; from שָׁרָה in the original sense of turning; a corslet (as if twisted)

KJV usagebreastplate, coat of mail, habergeon, harness. See סִרְיֹן.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shiryôwn — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word shiryôwn, represented by H8302, is a term for a piece of defensive armor, such as a corslet, breastplate, coat of mail, habergeon, or harness. It appears 9 times across 8 unique verses in the Bible. This word denotes the essential torso protection worn by soldiers in battle, but it is also used in a powerful metaphorical sense to describe divine attributes.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical narratives, H8302 appears in contexts of both military preparation and active combat. It is listed among the armaments King Uzziah prepared for his entire host, which included shields, spears, and helmets 2 Chronicles 26:14. Goliath was famously armed with a coat of mail of brass 1 Samuel 17:5, and Saul attempted to arm David with his own coat of mail 1 Samuel 17:38. The vulnerability of even the best armor is highlighted when the king of Israel is fatally wounded by an arrow that strikes "between the joints of the harness" 1 Kings 22:34. Figuratively, the term is used in Isaiah to describe God arming Himself, putting on righteousness as a breastplate Isaiah 59:17.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller picture of biblical armor and clothing:

H3553 kôwbaʻ (a helmet (as arched); helmet): This piece of head protection is frequently mentioned alongside H8302, as seen in the descriptions of Goliath's armor 1 Samuel 17:5 and the divine armor in Isaiah Isaiah 59:17.
H3847 lâbash (properly, wrap around, i.e. (by implication) to put on a garment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively): This verb is used for the action of putting on armor. God "put on H3847 righteousness H6666 as a breastplate H8302" Isaiah 59:17, and Saul armed David with a coat of mail 1 Samuel 17:38.
H4043 mâgên (a shield (i.e. the small one or buckler); figuratively, a protector): Another key piece of defensive equipment, the shield is often listed with the habergeon as part of a soldier's standard issue, such as in the time of Nehemiah Nehemiah 4:16.
H4055 mad (a vesture (as measured); also a carpet; armour, clothes, garment): This general term for a garment or armor is used when Saul armed David "with his armour" before specifically giving him a helmet and coat of mail 1 Samuel 17:38.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H8302 is most clearly seen in its metaphorical application.

Divine Righteousness as Armor: In Isaiah, God is depicted as a divine warrior who puts on righteousness as a breastplate Isaiah 59:17. This portrays righteousness not just as a moral quality but as an impenetrable, defensive force that God wields in executing judgment and salvation.
Impenetrable Strength: The might of Leviathan is illustrated by its resistance to human weapons, where the spear, the dart, and the habergeon are all ineffective against it Job 41:26. This highlights a level of power against which typical defenses are useless.
Human Frailty: The death of the king of Israel from an arrow that found a gap in his harness 1 Kings 22:34 illustrates that human armor and preparation are ultimately fallible and cannot thwart a divinely determined event.

Summary

In summary, H8302 moves from the literal battlefield to the theological realm. While it consistently refers to a physical coat of mail or breastplate used for a warrior's protection, its most profound use is symbolic. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the divine attribute of righteousness, which acts as God's own spiritual armor, demonstrating that true protection and power reside in holy character rather than in physical defenses alone.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 9 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

שִּׁרְיָן
שִׁרְיֹנוֹת
שִּׁרְיֹנִים
שִׁרְיָה
שִׁרְיוֹן

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 8 verses across 6 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 1 Samuel and 2 Chronicles (2 verses each); never once in the other 33.

1 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Chronicles

Nehemiah

Job

Isaiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.