In the previous post, the word focus was “sword” which is the translation of the Greek word μάχαιρα / machaira <Hear It>. μάχαιρα refers to a long knife or a short sword. There is another Greek word used in the New Testament that is also translated “sword” – ῥομφαία / rhomphaia. ῥομφαία originally referred to a Thracian weapon (4th century B.C.) with a long straight or slightly curved blade attached to a long handle. By the time of the New Testament the word probably referred to a long sword or broad sword.
ῥομφαία is used seven times in the New Testament, six of them in the Book of Revelation where the Apostle John recorded a vision about future events in the end times. What was revealed to him is described in highly symbolic language that details God’s final plan for the salvation of His people and the judgment of the wicked. At the beginning of the vision, John saw a symbolic image of the glorified Jesus Christ as illustrated in the drawing at the top of this post. Click here to read the entire description in Revelation 1:9-20.
In verse 1:16 John wrote that he saw “coming from his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword (ῥομφαία)”. Four of the six times that John uses ῥομφαία he describes it as coming out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Revelation 1:16, 2:16; 19:15, 19:21). Note that it comes from Christ’s mouth rather than being wielded in His hand. This is symbolic language. The sword represents divine judgment against those who oppose Christ. The fact that it comes from His mouth symbolizes that it is His Word that judges and punishes.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of the rhomphaia, here are two short videos on YouTube:
Historical Weapons: The Rhomphaia by Ancient History Guy. This is a excellent animated video that explains the history and development of the rhomphaia.
Forged in Fire: The Rhomphaia Tests by The History Channel. Forged in Fire is a competition where blade smiths compete in hand forging historical weapons. The weapons are tested to determine the winner. This extract shows the testing of two rhomphaia swords which will give you a feel for the power of these swords. The video is not rated but I would suggest PG13. The swords are tested on wild boar carcasses which might be disturbing to some viewers.
Word Focus Lexicon
Lexical Form: ἡ ῥομφαία ῥομφαίας <Hear It> Gloss: long sword Part of Speech: First Declension Feminine Noun New Testament Frequency: 7 Strong’s Number:G4501 (Link to Blue Letter Bible Lexicon)
Unless otherwise noted, English translations of Bible verses are by the author from the Greek text and are not quotations from any copyrighted Bible version or translation.
Koine Foundations 
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