Ephesians 6:16 (ASV)

Passage

withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one].

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Ephesians 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Ephesians 6:16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one].

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Ephesians 6:18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "withal", "taking", "shield", "wherewith", "shall", "able", and "quench". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "withal", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "and having shod your feet with the..." into verse 17's "And take the helmet of salvation and...", so "faith" and "withal" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "withal" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.