Army

In the Old Testament, occasionally there is talk of an Israelite army. In the New Testament we read mainly of Roman soldiers and army units.

The Israelites had their own army. Soldiers appear mainly in the stories in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, and in 1 Kings and 2 Kings.
In Deuteronomy 20 we find rules the Israelites had to adhere to when waging war. We are told, for instance, in what circumstances men did not have to join the army, and what was to be done with the inhabitants of a conquered city.

In the New Testament the Israelites no longer had their own army. The Romans were in charge. In the New Testament we therefore read mainly of Roman soldiers and army units.

Soldiers used a wide variety of weapons. Soldiers were also kitted out with armour.
In 1 Samuel 13:19-22 it is explained that none of the soldiers had a sword or a spear, because the Philistines had ensured that there was no blacksmith in Israel able to make weapons.