This noun originally denoted any missile or projectile, especially arrows and darts, but classical Greek extended it to any thrown weapon including rocks, javelins, or even furniture used as weapons. Homer used it for the instruments of Apollo bringing sudden death. In the New Testament, the word appears in two very different contexts: Luke 18:25 contains a textual variant reading 'needle' (belonēs) rather than the more common rhaphidos, while Ephesians 6:16 uses 'arrows' metaphorically for 'the flaming darts of the evil one.' The semantic range from literal projectiles to metaphorical spiritual attacks shows the word's flexibility.