סִרְיֹן
sir.yon
armor
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# סִרְיֹן (siryon): A Rare Term for Armor The Hebrew word סִרְיֹן (siryon) denotes armor—protective clothing or equipment worn in battle. Based on its limited biblical presence, this was a specialized term in ancient Hebrew vocabulary for personal protective gear. The word appears only twice in the biblical text, suggesting it may have referred to a specific type or style of armor rather than serving as a general catchall term for all protective equipment. The rarity of this word's occurrence indicates it occupied a narrow niche in Hebrew military terminology. With only two instances in the entire Bible, siryon was not the primary or most common Hebrew word for armor, implying either that the type of protection it described was uncommon, that alternative terms were preferred, or that it represented a particular historical period or context within biblical literature. This limited usage pattern makes it a specialized rather than foundational element of biblical Hebrew's military vocabulary.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text
Harness the horses, and get up, you horsemen, and stand up with your helmets. Polish the spears, put on the coats of mail.
Jeremiah 51:3Against him who bends, let the archer bend his bow, also against him who lifts himself up in his coat of mail. Don’t spare her young men! Utterly destroy all her army!