Efesus 6:17-18

6:17 And take the helmet of salvation ¹  and the sword ²  of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray ³  at all times in the Spirit, and to this end ⁴  be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

[6:17]  ¹ sn An allusion to Isa 59:17.

[6:17]  ² sn The Greek term translated sword (μάχαιρα, macaira) refers to the Roman gladius, a short sword about 2 ft (60 cm) long, used for close hand-to-hand combat. This is the only clearly offensive weapon in the list of armor mentioned by the author (he does not, for example, mention the lance [Latin pilum]).

[6:18]  ³ tn Both “pray” and “be alert” are participles in the Greek text (“praying…being alert”). Both are probably instrumental, loosely connected with all of the preceding instructions. As such, they are not additional commands to do but instead are the means through which the prior instructions are accomplished.

[6:18]  ⁴ tn Grk “and toward it.”