6:11a

Put on the full armor of God: This is another command. The word armor is the general term for the protective clothing and equipment a soldier wears and the weapons he carries. In some languages, this may be called:

war stuff
-or-
fighting tools
-or-
soldier’s clothes and weapons

The pieces of armor that Paul mentions in 6:14–17 include the belt, breastplate, shoes and helmet that a soldier puts on, and the shield and the sword that he holds in his hands. So another way to translate this is:

take hold of the things that God has given you to fight the devil

full: The word full here means “complete.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

whole (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
all (Good News Translation)

armor of God: Paul calls this the armor of God, because God is the one who provides the armor.

armor of God is a metaphor. A soldier gets all his special clothing and weapons ready so he can fight. His armor protects him. In the same way we must use all the things that God has given us to protect us, so we can fight against the devil.

6:11b

so that you can make your stand: To make your stand means “to oppose,” “to successfully resist,” or “to fight back and not give in.” When a soldier is fighting well he does not go backwards or retreat. He stands where he is or moves forward.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

so that you will be able to stand firm (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
so that you will be able to stand up (Good News Translation)

against the devil’s schemes: The devil’s schemes refers to the devil’s/Satan’s tricks or tactics. Here Paul talked about the things Satan does to try to make us sin, to make us stop trusting in Jesus and to make us stop serving Jesus. He used the same word in 4:14d (“scheming”).

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

the devil’s strategies (God’s Word)
-or-
the Devil’s evil tricks (Good News Translation)

the devil: The devil is the ruler of all evil spirits. The name of the devil is Satan.

Here are some other ways to translate the devil :

chief of demons
-or-
ruler of the evil spirits
-or-
Satan

See devil in the Glossary for more information.

General Comment on 6:11b

Some languages might need to translate 6:11b as an “if-then” clause. For example

If you do, then Satan might do his trickery but you will remain standing, you won’t fall down.

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