That is, the wicked one, or the evil one, the devil, who is the leader of the assaulting armies.
Fiery darts.
Ancient arrows sometimes had combustible materials, such as tow and pitch, ignited on the head of the shaft so as to set fire to whatever they hit. This is an appropriate image for the fiery temptations that come to the child of God. They may take the form of fear, discouragement, impatience, unholy thoughts, envy, anger, or any other vice. But faith in God, held aloft like a shield, catches them, snuffs out the flame, and makes them fall harmless to the ground.
Quench.
Faith stops the arrows of temptation before they become sin in the soul. Temptations and all assaults of the enemy are to be encountered before they reach the vulnerable parts of the spiritual body.
Faith.
“This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). This faith is active, like the shield that is raised to catch the fiery darts; it is also passive in that it trusts in God for deliverance. Under the impact of temptation of any kind it is faith that restores confidence and enables one to carry on the battle. Moreover, “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6).
The shield.
The Roman shield was a large oblong shield made of wood covered with leather. It measured about four feet by two and a half, large enough to cover the body.
Above all.
Rather, “in addition to all.” Important textual evidence is divided (cf. p. 10) between this and the reading “in all.”