Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ORNAMENTS

Adornments (Heb. ʿăḏî) worn by both men and women for decoration. Jewelry of all types is included in this designation, as are scarves, headdresses, sashes, robes, mantles, cloaks, turbans, veils (Isa. 3:18-23), and tiaras (Jdt. 10:3; Gk. mítra). The ornaments described in biblical references are most often of gold (e.g., 2 Sam. 1:24), but archaeology reveals other metals, most significantly bronze. Perhaps the most commonly found items of adornment in the Bronze and Iron Ages are the copper or bronze toggle pins that would have performed both a decorative and a functional purpose in holding together pieces of clothing. Most adornments were made of expensive materials or were labor intensive to make, and they were therefore a symbol of wealth, power, and God’s favor. They were worn on special occasions, particularly by a bride on her wedding day (Ezek. 16:10-13; Isa. 49:18; Jer. 2:32), but not at times of sadness and mourning (Exod. 33:4-6). Ornaments also appear in religious contexts in the shape of golden bells that hung between the multi-colored yarn pomegranates on the fringe of the high priest’s robe (Exod. 28:33-34). Idols were draped with embroidered cloth (Ezek. 16:16-18), considered elsewhere among ornamentation. Cosmetics and perfumes are included in this category: the perfumed boxes in Isaiah’s list of ornaments (Isa. 3:20) have their counterpart in the archaeological record in the ceramic, glass, stone, and shell palettes, bottles, and juglets that date to the biblical periods.

Katharine A. Mackay

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ORNAMENTS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)