Ezekiel, enumerating the common ornaments of women of the first rank, has not omitted this particular, and is to be understood in the same manner, chap. xvi. 11, 12. See also Gen. xxiv. xlvii. - "And I decked thee with ornaments; And I put bracelets upon thine hands, And a chain on thy neck: And I put a jewel on thy nose, And ear-rings on thine ears, And a splendid crown upon thine head." And in an elegant proverb of Solomon, Proverbs xi. 22, there is a manifest allusion to this kind of ornament, which shows it to have been used in his time:- "As a jewel of gold in the snout of a swine; So is a woman beautiful, but wanting discretion." This fashion, however strange it may appear to us, was formerly and is still common in many parts of the East, among women of all ranks. Paul Lucas, speaking of a village or clan of wandering people, a little on this side of the Euphrates, says, (2d Voyage du Levant, tom. i., art. 24,) "The women, almost all of them, travel on foot; I saw none handsome among them. They have almost all of them the nose bored; and wear in it a great ring, which makes them still more deformed." But in regard to this custom, better authority cannot be produced than that of Pietro della Valle, in the account which he gives of the lady before mentioned, Signora Maani Gioerida, his own wife. The description of her dress, as to the ornamental parts of it, with which he introduces the mention of this particular, will give us some notion of the taste of the Eastern ladies for finery. "The ornaments of gold and of jewels for the head, for the neck, for the arms, for the legs, and for the feet (for they wear rings even on their toes) are indeed, unlike those of the Turks, carried to great excess, but not of great value: for in Bagdad jewels of high price are either not to be had, or are not used; and they wear such only as are of little value, as turquoises, small rubies, emeralds, carbuncles, garnets, pearls, and the like. My spouse dresses herself with all of them according to their fashion; with exception, however, of certain ugly rings of very large size, set with jewels, which, in truth, very absurdly, it is the custom to wear fastened to one of their nostrils, like buffaloes: an ancient custom, however, in the East, which, as we find in the Holy Scriptures, prevailed among the Hebrew ladies even in the time of Solomon, Proverbs xi. 22. These nose-rings, in complaisance to me, she has left off, but I have not yet been able to prevail with her cousin and her sisters to do the same; so fond are they of an old custom, be it ever so absurd, who have been long habituated to it." Viaggi, Tom. i., Let. 17.

It is the left nostril that is bored and ornamented with rings and jewels.

More than one hundred drawings from life of Eastern ladies lie now before me, and scarcely one is without the nose- jewel: both the arms and wrists are covered with bracelets, arm-circles, &c., as also their legs and feet; the soles of their feet and palms of their hands coloured beautifully red with henna, and their hair plaited and ornamented superbly. These beautiful drawings are a fine comment on this chapter.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Is. 3:1-9 God was about to deprive Judah of every stay and support. The city and the land were to be made desolate, because their words an works had been rebellious against the Lord; even at his holy temple. I men do not stay themselves upon God, he will soon remove all othe supports, and then they must sink. Christ is the Bread of life and the Water of life; if he be our Stay, we shall find that is a good part no to be taken away, John 6:27. Here note, 1. That the condition of sinners is exceedingly woful. 2. It is the soul that is damaged by sin 3. Whatever evil befals sinners, be sure that they bring it of themselves.

Is. 3:10-15 The rule was certain; however there might be nationa prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to strict account for all the wealth and power intrusted to and abused by them. If it is sinful to disregard the necessities of the poor, ho odious and wicked a part do they act, who bring men into poverty, an then oppress them!

Is. 3:16-26 The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the foll and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishment threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the jus punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornament they wore; many of these things, if they had not been in fashion, woul have been ridiculed then as now. Their fashions differed much from those of our times, but human nature is the same. Wasting time an money, to the neglect of piety, charity, and even of justice, displeas the Lord. Many professors at the present day, seem to think there is n harm in worldly finery; but were it not a great evil, would the Holy Spirit have taught the prophet to expose it so fully? The Jews being overcome, Jerusalem would be levelled with the ground; which i represented under the idea of a desolate female seated upon the earth And when the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem, they struck a medal, of which was represented a woman sitting on the ground in a posture of grief. If sin be harboured within the walls, lamentation and mournin are near the gates __________________________________________________________________

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