Nose

Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia

—nose rings were known in the ancient Near East and could be made of precious metal (Gen. 24:22, 47; Isa. 3:21). Proverbs compares a beautiful woman without discretion to a gold ring in a pig’s snout (Prov. 11:22), turning an ornament of beauty into an image of incongruity. The source’s claim that women normally pierced only the left nostril is not established by the biblical texts.

Scripture cited

Genesis 24:22 Esaias 3:21 Proverbs 11:22

Related entries

Aram, Aramea (highland country) (Gen. 24:10; 25:10) — under this name is generally meant Syria, in the sense not of Syria…
Beer-lahai-roi (well of the Living One who seeth me) (Gen. 16:14) — a spring located between Kadesh and Bared, in the…
Bracelets, or armlets (Gen. 24:30) — an ornament in the form of a chain or clasp, worn on the arm, very much in use in the East,…
Daughter (Gen. 24:48) — a word used not only to denote direct female offspring, but also to signify female descendants…
Deborah (bee) — the names of two women: a) (Gen. 24:59) — nurse of Rebekah, who accompanied her to the land of…
Ornaments and adornments , especially those worn by women, existed among the Hebrews from the most ancient times, from the days of the…
Paddan-aram (field, or plain, of Syria) (Gen. 24:10; 25:20)—a geographical term denoting the upper, or more northerly,…
Rebekah (bond; captivating by beauty) (Gen. 24:15)—the sister of Laban and wife of Isaac. The circumstances of her…
Straw (Gen. 24:25; Exod. 5:7-18)—dried stalks remaining after grain harvest, used for animal bedding, fodder, fuel,…
The ox (Isa. 1:3) — a well-known domestic animal of the ruminant kind, clean by the Law of Moses, strong, hardy, and…

Search the whole Encyclopedia All 4,575 entries, searchable, with every entry linked to the verses it explains.