Ephesians 6:16 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

Above all; chiefly, Colossians 3:14: this he sets, as the principal part of the Christian armour, against the greatest temptations, fiery darts, 1 Peter 5:8,9 1 John 5:4. Taking the shield of faith: faith, as receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, is compared to a shield, (under which soldiers were wont to shelter themselves against their enemies darts), as being a sort of universal defence covering the whole man, and guarding even the other parts of our spiritual armour. Fiery darts; it seems to be an allusion to the poisoned darts some barbarous nations were wont to use, which inflamed the bodies they hit. By them he means all those violent temptations which inflame men's lusts. These fiery darts of temptations faith is said to quench, when, by the help of grace obtained of Christ, it overcomes them. Of the wicked; the devil, Matthew 13:19.

Ephesians 6:16

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.