Bible Dictionary
Shoe
A shoe in biblical usage could mean a sandal or other covering for the foot. In Deuteronomy 33:25, the underlying term may instead refer to bars or fortress defenses.
Definition
A shoe is a covering for the foot, ranging from a simple sandal to a complete foot covering. In Deuteronomy 33:25, however, the word rendered “shoe” in some traditions may derive from a term meaning “bar,” referring to a fortified defense.
Biblical Usage
Biblical usage includes ordinary footwear or sandals. In Deuteronomy 33:25 the passage may instead be understood as saying that iron and brass would be Israel’s fortress or bars, while the Revised Version retains “shoes” with “bars” in the margin.
Historical Background
The Hebrew term in Deuteronomy 33:25 is connected with a root meaning “to bolt” or “shut fast,” which accounts for the interpretation “fortress” or “bars.”
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Of various forms, from the mere sandal (q.v.) to the complete covering of the foot. The word so rendered (A.V.) in Deut. 33:25, min’al, “a bar,” is derived from a root meaning “to bolt” or “shut fast,” and hence a fastness or fortress. The verse has accordingly been rendered “iron and brass shall be thy fortress,” or, as in the Revised Version, “thy bars [marg., “shoes”] shall be iron and brass.”
Smith's Bible Dictionary
[Sandal]