In biblical times, bracelets were ornamental bands worn around the wrist or arm, often signifying wealth, status, or personal adornment. They are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, reflecting both cultural practices and spiritual symbolism.

Old Testament References

Bracelets are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, often in association with gifts or as symbols of wealth and status. In Genesis 24:22, Abraham's servant gives Rebekah a gold bracelet as a token of her selection as Isaac's bride: "And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold." This passage highlights the use of bracelets as part of bridal gifts, indicating their value and significance in matrimonial customs.

In Numbers 31:50, the Israelites offer bracelets among other items as a contribution to the Lord after a victorious battle: "So we have brought as an offering to the LORD the gold articles each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD." Here, bracelets are part of the spoils of war, signifying both wealth and the act of dedicating such wealth to God.

Ezekiel 16:11-12 describes God's adornment of Jerusalem with jewelry, including bracelets, as a metaphor for His blessings and favor: "I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head." This imagery underscores the beauty and honor bestowed upon the city, with bracelets symbolizing divine favor and grace.

Cultural and Symbolic Significance

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, bracelets were not only decorative but also carried symbolic meanings. They could indicate social status, wealth, or even serve as amulets for protection. The use of precious metals and stones in their construction further emphasized their value and the status of the wearer.

The Bible also uses bracelets metaphorically to convey spiritual truths. In Isaiah 3:18-20, the prophet warns of the impending judgment on the daughters of Zion, listing bracelets among the fineries that will be stripped away: "In that day the Lord will take away the finery of their anklets, headbands, and crescent necklaces, their earrings and bracelets and veils." This passage serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly adornments and the importance of spiritual integrity over material wealth.

New Testament Context

While the New Testament does not specifically mention bracelets, the cultural practices of wearing jewelry continued into the Greco-Roman period. The apostle Peter advises women in 1 Peter 3:3-4, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight." This teaching reflects a broader biblical principle that inner spiritual beauty is of greater value than external adornment.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, bracelets serve as symbols of wealth, status, and divine favor, while also reminding believers of the transient nature of material possessions. They are used in various contexts to illustrate spiritual truths and cultural practices, offering insight into the values and customs of biblical times.Bracelet

[See ARMLET] Bracelets of fine twisted Venetian gold are still common in Egypt. In (Genesis 38:18,25) the word rendered "bracelet" means probably a string by which a seal-ring was suspended. Men as well as women wore bracelets, as we see from (Solomon 5:14) Layard says of the Assyrian kings, "The arms were encircled by armlets, and the wrists by bracelets."

Bracelet

Properly an ornament for the wrist, or for the arm above or below the elbow; but sometimes used also in the Bible to signify an ornament worn of the leg, Numbers 31:50 Isaiah 3:19. Armlets were worn by men, sometimes as a badge of royalty, 2 Samuel 1:10. Bracelets were of great variety of materials and forms; were usually large, and often of great value, Genesis 24:22.

The woman of Syria and Arabia at this day wear rings round their legs, to which are fastened many other lesser rings, with make a tinkling noise, like little bells, when they walk. These rings are fixed above the ankle, and are of gold, silver, copper, glass, or even of varnished earth, according to the condition of the wearer. The princesses wear large hollow rings of gold, within which are enclosed little pebbles, that tinkle. See RINGS.

(1.) Anklets (Numbers 31:50; 2 Samuel 1:10), and with reference to men.

(2.) The rendering of a Hebrew word meaning fasteners, found in Genesis 24:22, 30, 47.

(3.) In Isaiah 3:19, the rendering of a Hebrew word meaning chains, i.e., twisted or chain-like bracelets.

(4.) In Exodus 35:22 it designates properly a clasp for fastening the dress of females. Some interpret it as a nose-ring.

(5.) In Genesis 38:18, 25, the rendering of a Hebrew word meaning "thread," and may denote the ornamental cord with which the signet was suspended from the neck of the wearer.

Bracelets were worn by men as well as by women (Cant. 5:14, R.V.). They were of many various forms. The weight of those presented by Eliezer to Rebekah was ten shekels (Genesis 24:22).

1. (n.) An ornamental band or ring, for the wrist or the arm; in modern times, an ornament encircling the wrist, worn by women or girls.

2. (n.) A piece of defensive armor for the arm.

BRACELET

bras'-let ('ets`adhah, chach, tsamidh, pathil, sheroth): Used to translate a number of Hebrew words, only one of which means a band for the arm ('ets`adhah), as in 2 Samuel 1:10, "the bracelet that was on his arm." In Exodus 35:22, where both men and women are said to have brought as offerings among other "jewels of gold" "bracelets" (the Revised Version (British and American) "brooches"), another word (chach) is used, meaning most likely nose-rings (see RING). The bracelet asked of Judah by Tamar as a pledge ("Thy signet, and thy b., and thy staff that is in thy hand," Genesis 38:18, 25 the King James Version) was probably the cord of softly-twisted wool for the shepherd's headdress (pathil; the Revised Version (British and American) "cord"). The bracelets ("two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold") which Abraham's servant gave to Rebekah stand for still another word (tsamidh). These "bracelets" are always spoken of as "bracelets for the hands," or as "put upon the hands" (Genesis 24:47, compare Ezekiel 16:11; Ezekiel 23:42). Isaiah, predicting the day when Yahweh will smite the haughty daughters of Zion, who "walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet," says, "In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets. the bracelets" (Ezekiel 3:19, sheroth) etc., where some translate "twisted ornaments," leaving it uncertain as to just what is specifically meant. In 2 Samuel 1:10 the bracelet appears with the crown as one of the royal insignia. In 2 Kings 11:12, according to Wellhausen, W. R. Smith (OTJC2, 311n.) and oth ers, we should read, "Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him and gave him bracelets". for "testimony". See DB.

Today, as of old, the bracelet is multiform and a favorite ornament in the East. It is made of gold, silver, copper, brass, glass and even enameled earthenware, and in many designs: flat band, plain ring, interlinked rings, as well as of twisted wires, connected squares, solid or perforated, with or without pendants (Mackie).

When owned by women, bracelets had the special the commendation, along with other jewelry, of being inalienable-not to be taken by the husband in case of divorce, nor seized and sold for his debts. "Even now," says Rice (Orientalisms, etc., 41), "in Moslem lands a woman may be divorced without legal process, at the freak of her husband, but she can carry away undisputed any amount of gold, silver, jewels, precious stones, or apparel that she has loaded on her person; so she usually wears all her treasures on her person, not knowing when the fateful word may be spoken."

George B. Eager

6781. tsamiyd -- bracelet
... 6780, 6781. tsamiyd. 6781a . bracelet. Transliteration: tsamiyd Phonetic Spelling:
(tsaw-meed') Short Definition: bracelet. bracelet, covering ...
/hebrew/6781.htm - 5k

8285. sherah -- a bracelet
... 8284, 8285. sherah. 8286 . a bracelet. Transliteration: sherah Phonetic
Spelling: (shay-raw') Short Definition: bracelets. ... bracelet. ...
/hebrew/8285.htm - 6k

3558. kumaz -- (a golden ornament) perhaps a bracelet
... 3557, 3558. kumaz. 3559 . (a golden ornament) perhaps a bracelet. Transliteration:
kumaz Phonetic Spelling: (koo-mawz') Short Definition: bracelets. ...
/hebrew/3558.htm - 6k

6781a. tsamid -- bracelet
... tsamid. 6781b . bracelet. Transliteration: tsamid Short Definition: bracelets.
Word Origin from tsamad Definition bracelet NASB Word Usage bracelets (6). ...
/hebrew/6781a.htm - 5k

685. etsadah -- an armlet
... armlets. Word Origin from the same as tseadah Definition an armlet NASB Word
Usage armlets (1), bracelet (1). bracelet, chain. A variation ...
/hebrew/685.htm - 6k

2397. chach -- hook, ring, fetter
... bracelet, chain, hook. Once (Ezek. 29:4) chachiy {khakh-ee'}; from the same as
chowach; a ring for the nose (or lips) -- bracelet, chain, hook. ...
/hebrew/2397.htm - 6k

6616. pathil -- cord, thread
... bound, bracelet, lace, line, ribbon, thread, wire. From pathal; twine -- bound,
bracelet, lace, line, ribband, thread, wire. see HEBREW pathal. 6615, 6616. ...
/hebrew/6616.htm - 6k

Christ Teaching by Miracles
... How great was his astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet
fall into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. ...
/.../newton/the life of jesus christ for the young/christ teaching by miracles.htm

It is not Enough that God Know us to be Chaste: we must Seem So ...
... Otherwise, I know not whether the wrist that has been wont to be surrounded with
the palmleaf-like bracelet will endure till it grow into the numb hardness of ...
/.../tertullian/on the apparel of women/chapter xiii it is not enough.htm

Argument: the Weapon that C??cilius had Slightly Brandished ...
... After his death Amphiaraus answered as to things to come, though he knew not (while
living) that he should be betrayed by his wife on account of a bracelet. ...
/.../felix/the octavius of minucius felix/chapter xxvi argument the weapon that.htm

Temptation
... be tempted, as many a poor child has been ere now, to admire it, fondle it, wreathe
it round the neck for a necklace, or round the arm for a bracelet, till the ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon vii temptation.htm

The Young Knight: a Parable
... But by there came a mighty boar, His jowl and tushes red with gore, And
on his curled snout he bore A bracelet rich and rare O! ...
/.../kingsley/andromeda and other poems/the young knight a parable.htm

The Swan-Neck
... Thus fell Harold, bracelet-giver; Jesu rest his soul for ever; Angles
all from thrall deliver; Miserere Domine. Eversley, 1851. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/the swan-neck.htm

A Notice of Aetius, Eunomius' Master in Heresy, and of Eunomius ...
... He had received from a woman belonging to a regiment a gold ornament, a necklace
or a bracelet, which had been broken by a blow, and which he was to mend: but ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 6 a notice of.htm

Esling
... returned to Philadelphia. In 1850 her poems were collected and published
under the title The Broken Bracelet and Other Poems. She was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/nutter/hymn writers of the church/esling.htm

A Psalm of Remembrance
... joyous spirit; when he reads the Scripture it is one great transparency from beginning
to end; when he meditates upon its pages it is like a bracelet set about ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/a psalm of remembrance.htm

No Compromise
... O preacher, what a work hast thou to do to-day, to find out those to whom thou shalt
give the bracelet, and upon whose face thou shalt hang the jewel! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 34 1888/no compromise.htm

Bracelet (5 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BRACELET. bras ... In 2 Samuel 1:10 the bracelet
appears with the crown as one of the royal insignia. In ...
/b/bracelet.htm - 13k

Armlet (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A small arm; as, an armlet of the sea. 2. (n.)
An arm ring; a bracelet for the upper arm. 3. (n.) Armor for the arm. Int. ...
/a/armlet.htm - 8k

Necklace (9 Occurrences)
... said to the wise men of Babylon, that, 'Any man who doth read this writing, and
its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth on, and a bracelet of gold ...
/n/necklace.htm - 10k

Bracelets (10 Occurrences)

/b/bracelets.htm - 9k

Jewel (12 Occurrences)
... Standard Bible Encyclopedia. JEWEL. ju'-el, joo'-el: An ornament of gold, silver
or of precious stones in the form of armlet, bracelet, anklet, nose-ring, etc. ...
/j/jewel.htm - 12k

Furnish (8 Occurrences)
... King James Version); nasa, "to lift up," "to aid" (1 Kings 9:11); `anaq, Hiphil,
probably "to lay on the neck," "to encircle" (with a bracelet) (Deuteronomy 15 ...
/f/furnish.htm - 11k

Reads (5 Occurrences)
... said to the wise men of Babylon, that, 'Any man who doth read this writing, and
its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth on, and a bracelet of gold ...
/r/reads.htm - 8k

Belshaz'zar (8 Occurrences)
... Daniel 5:29 Then hath Belshazzar said, and they have clothed Daniel with purple,
and a bracelet of gold 'is' on his neck, and they have proclaimed concerning ...
/b/belshaz'zar.htm - 8k

Braced (2 Occurrences)

/b/braced.htm - 7k

Beads (3 Occurrences)
... Numbers 31:50 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 ...
/b/beads.htm - 7k

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