Sheath, scabbard
Human-made Things in the Bible
The sheath was a case or bag about the size and shape of a sword, used to cover and to carry the sword. It could be made of a variety of materials, usually leather, but also cloth, metal, or even wood. It was normally attached to a circular strap or belt that could be hung over the shoulder or tied around the waist. In later Old Testament times, when iron swords were too heavy for a belt alone, the sheath was attached to a combination of a belt and a shoulder strap.
How it was used
The sheath covered the blade of a sword in order to protect the blade and to protect the person carrying the sword and those around him from being cut accidentally.
In the Bible
The Hebrew and Greek words for it, and every verse where each is used
נָדָן nadan · 1 verse
תַּעַר ta‘ar · 7 verses
θήκη thēkē · 1 verse
Sources
Plants and Trees in the Bible, Animals in the Bible and Human-made Things in the Bible © United Bible Societies, 2025 (adapted from Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible by Robert Koops, All Creatures Great and Small: Living Things in the Bible by Edward R. Hope, and The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible by Ray Pritz), CC BY-SA 4.0; adapted for eRhema