Reference: Earrings
American
See RINGS.
Easton
rings properly for the ear (Ge 35:4; Nu 31:50; Eze 16:12). In Ge 24:47 the word means a nose-jewel, and is so rendered in the Revised Version. In Isa 3:20 the Authorized Version has "ear-rings," and the Revised Version "amulets," which more correctly represents the original word (lehashim), which means incantations; charms, thus remedies against enchantment, worn either suspended from the neck or in the ears of females. Ear-rings were ornaments used by both sexes (Ex 32:2).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter art thou? and she saith, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah hath borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands,
And they give unto Jacob all the gods of the stranger that are in their hand, and the rings that are in their ears, and Jacob hideth them under the oak which is by Shechem;
And Aaron saith unto them, 'Break off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring in unto me;'
and we bring near Jehovah's offering, each that which he hath found, vessels of gold -- chain, and bracelet, seal-ring, ear -ring, and bead -- to make atonement for ourselves before Jehovah.'
Of the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, And of the bands, And of the perfume boxes, and the amulets,
Fausets
nezem, which also includes the nose ring hanging on one side of the nose (Ge 24:47, where the words "upon her face" imply either a nose ring or one to be hung from her forehead, Ge 35:4). Circular, as its other name 'agil implies. Oriental men wore them as well as women. Jg 8:24 seems to imply that the Israelite men did not wear them, as did the Ishmaelites; but Ex 32:2 proves that young "sons" wore them. There were besides netiphot (Jg 8:26), not "collars" but pearlshaped "ear drops," or jewels attached to the rings, or else pendent scent bottles, or pendants from the neck on the breast, "Chains" KJV (Isa 3:19,21), "earrings" (leehashim, from laachash "to whisper"), AMULETS with magic inscriptions, and so surrendered along with the idols by Jacob's household (Ge 35:4).
The best use made of them was that in Nu 31:50, an offering to the Lord to "make atonement for souls"; not that our gifts can wipe away guilt, but acknowledgments of God's grace not being offered in loving gratitude evince an unatoned state, and so a state of guilt. When offered in loving faith, they evidence and seal visibly our reception of the atonement (Lu 7:44-47). The "phylacteries," headbands, totapkot (Mt 23:5) in the Talmudists' opinion were the sanctioned antidote to the idolatrous amulets and "earrings" (De 6:7-8; 11:18-19; contrast Ho 2:13; Isa 3:21, lechashim. But the language in Deuteronomy and in Ex 13:9,16 is rightly taken by the Karaite Jews as proverbial, not literal; as is apparent from the reason added, "that the law of Jehovah may be in thy mouth"; for it is by receiving the law into the heart, and by keeping it, that it would be naturally on the tongue continually.
God does not say that His law was to be written upon scrolls, but to be "for a sign upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes," i.e., was to be kept in view like memorials upon the forehead and the hand, the prominent visible parts symbolizing respectively open confession and action (Re 13:16; 22:4). This view is proved by Pr 3:3; 4:21; 6:21-22; 7:3. But latterly the Jews used the "phylacteries," totaphot, or tephillim, prayer fillets, parchment strips with sentences of the law, bound on the forehead or left arm during prayer.
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And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter art thou? and she saith, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah hath borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands,
And they give unto Jacob all the gods of the stranger that are in their hand, and the rings that are in their ears, and Jacob hideth them under the oak which is by Shechem;
And they give unto Jacob all the gods of the stranger that are in their hand, and the rings that are in their ears, and Jacob hideth them under the oak which is by Shechem;
and it hath been to thee for a sign on thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, so that the law of Jehovah is in thy mouth, for by a strong hand hath Jehovah brought thee out from Egypt;
and it hath been for a token on thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes, for by strength of hand hath Jehovah brought us out of Egypt.'
And Aaron saith unto them, 'Break off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring in unto me;'
and we bring near Jehovah's offering, each that which he hath found, vessels of gold -- chain, and bracelet, seal-ring, ear -ring, and bead -- to make atonement for ourselves before Jehovah.'
and thou hast repeated them to thy sons, and spoken of them in thy sitting in thine house, and in thy walking in the way, and in thy lying down, and in thy rising up, and hast bound them for a sign upon thy hand, and they have been for frontlets between thine eyes,
'And ye have placed these my words on your heart, and on your soul, and have bound them for a sign on your hand, and they have been for frontlets between your eyes; and ye have taught them to your sons, by speaking of them in thy sitting in thy house, and in thy going in the way, and in thy lying down, and in thy rising up,
And Gideon saith unto them, 'Let me ask of you a petition, and give ye to me each the ring of his prey, for they have rings of gold, for they are Ishmaelites.'
and the weight of the rings of gold which he asked is a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the round ornaments, and the drops, and the purple garments, which are on the kings of Midian, and apart from the chains which are on the necks of their camels,
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,
Bind them on thy heart continually, Tie them on thy neck. In thy going up and down, it leadeth thee, In thy lying down, it watcheth over thee, And thou hast awaked -- it talketh with thee.
Bind them on thy fingers, Write them on the tablet of thy heart.
Of the drops, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
And I have charged on her the days of the Baalim, To whom she maketh perfume, And putteth on her ring and her ornament, And goeth after her lovers, And Me forgat -- an affirmation of Jehovah.
'And all their works they do to be seen by men, and they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
And having turned unto the woman, he said to Simon, 'Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; water for my feet thou didst not give, but this woman with tears did wet my feet, and with the hairs of her head did wipe; a kiss to me thou didst not give, but this woman, from what time I came in, did not cease kissing my feet; read more. with oil my head thou didst not anoint, but this woman with ointment did anoint my feet; therefore I say to thee, her many sins have been forgiven, because she did love much; but to whom little is forgiven, little he doth love.'
And it maketh all, the small, and the great, and the rich, and the poor, and the freemen, and the servants, that it may give to them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads,
and they shall see His face, and His name is upon their foreheads,
Smith
Earrings.
The material of which earrings were made was generally gold,
and their form circular. They were worn by women and by youth of both sexes. These ornaments appear to have been regarded with superstitious reverence as an amulet. On this account they were surrendered along with the idols by Jacob's household.
Chardin describes earrings with talismanic figures and characters on them as still existing in the East. Jewels were sometimes attached to the rings. The size of the earrings still worn in eastern countries far exceeds what is usual among ourselves; hence they formed a handsome present,
or offering to the service of God.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And they give unto Jacob all the gods of the stranger that are in their hand, and the rings that are in their ears, and Jacob hideth them under the oak which is by Shechem;
And Aaron saith unto them, 'Break off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring in unto me;'
and we bring near Jehovah's offering, each that which he hath found, vessels of gold -- chain, and bracelet, seal-ring, ear -ring, and bead -- to make atonement for ourselves before Jehovah.'
And come unto him do all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all his former acquaintances, and they eat bread with him in his house, and bemoan him, and comfort him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him, and they gave to him each one kesitah, and each one ring of gold.