The military weapons of those times went through constant cycles, in which one army would favor one weapon, and the opposing army would develop a weapon to counter the first army's weapon.
For many centuries, then, the same weapons would appear and reappear as the fashions of the times.
Large nations, which customarily indulged in warfare as a practice of obtaining material wealth, land, and free labor forces, would maintain large armies, including cavalries and chariot forces.
The armies of these large nations, such as Egypt, would have relatively standardized and sophisticated weapons and armor.
Their soldiers would wear uniforms, carry uniform weapons and armor, and would have uniform training and tactics.
This would enable armorers, or blacksmiths, to make numbers of weapons on a larger more efficient scale, according to a uniform pattern.
Therefore, one sees the complex sickle sword amongst the Egyptians, but probably not amongst the soldiers of smaller nations.
Small nations, such as Israel, did not maintain large armies.
The rulers of these nations might retain a small corps of professionals, who would have sophisticated weapons and armor.
By sophisticated, I mean perhaps a sickle sword (double-edged, counter to the opinions of some writers), a quality bow with accompanying arrows, and fitted armor.
The smaller nations, then, would raise armies as needed, and the armorers/blacksmiths of those nations would rapidly convert the metal of farm and carpentry tools into weapons.
Therefore, one would see simple edged weapons, meaning, straight double-edged large knives or small swords, with an eye towards the economic use of metal.
Amongst the more formidable, expensive swords intended for elite forces, one would tend to see Kopis, Kukri, Falcata, or Yataghan types of swords, with a forward bend to them that placed the sweet spot ahead of the long axis of the wielder's forearm.
Most commonly, though, I think one would see simple, straight, double-edged short swords or large knives strapped to the thighs of front line soldiers.
These short sword or large dagger types of weapons would probably measure 18" in total length, also known as a cubit, and which corresponds to the typical length of the upper thigh from the top of the femur (sometimes called hip, but not referring to the wing of the pelvic crest) to the pivot of the knee.
A cubit, or 18", corresponds to the maximum length that a soldier can carry strapped to his thigh, and which still allows free athletic movement.
One will see this type of straight double-edged knife/sword (Gladius Hispanius) recurring again and again, cyclically, throughout the history of warfare with edged weapons.
So, as a general statement regarding swords of this period, a larger sword, intended for elite forces, and used to defeat light armor, will have a forward bend in it, as does the sickle sword, the Kopis, the Yataghan, the Kukri and the Falcata; and the smaller sword, reforged out of farm and carpentry tools, will have a straight double-edged design measuring 18" in total length.
The Hebrews, Israelites and Jews, as quickly-raised and non-standing army, would carry those short swords they could make quickly out of farm and carpentry tools, or which they could afford to keep privately (merchants and traders carried a short sword or heavy dagger as self-defense from bandits).
As an alternative to the double-edged short sword or heavy dagger, one might also see a single edged long knife or short sword, along the lines of the
Seax:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seax
The Greek word
machaira occurs most frequently (29 times) in the bible when referring to a fighting sword or knife, and also when referring to a large butcher or meat cutting knife.
The
machaira corresponds most closely to the
seax (or the
seax corresponds to the
machaira), and, as such, represents a large knife or short sword that a man might keep around as a multi-purpose blade, and which he might take into battle with him if conscripted into an army.
The other Greek word,
rhomphia, used to denote a sword, occurs only in the book of the Revelation, and it refers to a large cavalry type of sword or saber, having either a swept, trailing point, or a foward yataghan bend which we see in 19th century European "S" shaped cavalry sabers.
In conclusion, think short, 18", and either single or double-edged.
