Ancient archer. Author: Paul S. Taylor.

Answers about…
archers in the Bible

Hebrew: יָרָה —transliteration: yarah or yara —meaning: a shooter of the bow and arrow

The art of archery is very ancient and is first mentioned in the book of Genesis in connection with Hagar and Abraham’s son, Ishmael.

And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and was an archer. —Genesis 21:20

Providentially, he was thus equipped to survive and thrive in a hostile wilderness environment where others might not.

Archery is later mentioned by Abraham’s son Isaac who asks his twin son Esau,

So now, please take up your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me —Genesis 27:3

Archery was a practical, everyday reality of ancient life. It reflects the historical and cultural world of the ancient Near East, where bows and arrows were essential for hunting, survival, and warfare. Archery was an important survival tool in the post-Flood world, enabling the taking of fast or dangerous game.

Signal with arrows

Jonathan and David’s covenant signal (1 Samuel 20:20, 36-37): Jonathan shot arrows as a coded message to warn David of King Saul’s evil intentions: “I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.” The boy’s retrieval confirms the danger. Here archery’s precision was used for friendship and protection, not violence.

Years later, Jonathan’s father and Israel’s King Saul was wounded by Philistine archers (1 Samuel 31:3).

The battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was wounded by the archers. —1 Chronicles 10:3

Teaching skillful archery for warfare

Later, David seems to have commandeded the teaching of archery, after Saul and Jonathan died at the hands of Philistine archers, David ordered Judah to learn the use of the bow (2 Samuel 1:18). This is widely seen as military training to counter enemy archery superiority, though some interpret the phrase as referring to simply teaching the lament song itself. Either way, it underscores archery’s strategic value.

Certain mighty men of David from the Tribe of Benjamin whose chief was Ahiezer were noted for their special skill with the bow and sling, using either hand.

They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul’s relatives from Benjamin. —1 Chronicles 12:2

The armies of Reuben, Gad, Manasseh (1 Chronicles 5:18), Asa (2 Chronicles 14:8), and Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:14) included thousands of bowmen.

Enemy archers

Israel’s neighbors (Philistines, Syrians, Persians, Lydians, Kedarites) are frequently mentioned as formidable archers, highlighting both the skill’s power and its limitations when God intervenes. The Persian archers were particularly famous among the ancients (Isaiah 13:18; Jeremiah 49:35; 50:9, 14, 29, 42.

The phrase “breaking the bow” (Hos. 1:5; Jeremiah 49:35) is equivalent to taking away one’s power, while “strengthening the bow” is a symbol of increasing it (Genesis 49:24).

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Article Version: March 13, 2026