- earring:
- or, jewel for the forehead, "And Aaronª saidª° unto¹ them, Break offª° the goldenª earrings,ª which¹ [are] in the earsª of your wives,ª of your sons,ª and of your daughters,ª and bringª° [them] unto¹ me. ... And all¹ the peopleª brake offª°¹ the goldenª earringsª which¹ [were] in their ears,ª and broughtª° [them] unto¹ Aaron.ª" {Exd 32:2-3} + "The chains,ª and the bracelets,ª and the mufflers,ª ... The glasses,ª and the fine linen,ª and the hoods,ª and the vails.ª" {Isa 3:19-23} + "I deckedª° thee also with ornaments,ª and I putª° braceletsª upon¹ thy hands,ª and a chainª on¹ thy neck.ª ... And I putª° a jewelª on¹ thy forehead,ª and earringsª in¹ thine ears,ª and a beautifulª crownª upon thine head.ª" {Ezk 16:11-12}; From the word being in the singular number, it is not likely to have been an ear-ring, or a "jewel for the forehead," but "a jewel for the nose, a nose-ring," which is in use throughout Arabia and Persia, particularly among young women. It is very properly translated επιρρινον, "an ornament for the nose," by Symmachus; and Sir John Chardin informs us, that "it is a custom in almost all the East, for the women to wear rings in their noses, in the left nostril, which is bored low down in the middle. These rings are of gold, and have commonly two pearls and one ruby between, placed in the ring. I never saw a girl or young woman in Arabia or in all Persia, who did not wear a ring after this manner in her nostril."
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