Intertextual Links between Isaiah 59 and the Armour of God in Ephesians 6

Believers are told in Ephesians 6:11 to put on God’s armour. In Isaiah 59:17, God himself puts on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation to come and fight for his people, and these are among the qualities identified as missing in the indictment against God’s people in Isaiah 59:8–15. The article identifies other intertextual allusions to Isaiah in the other four items of armour, and explores the extent to which the other qualities represented by the pieces of equipment also draw on the description of the nation’s plight in Isaiah 59. An awareness of these intertextual allusions suggests that putting on God’s armour means enlisting in the spiritual struggle and going on the offensive by adopting a lifestyle marked by the qualities listed in Ephesians 6:14–17.