In biblical times, collars were not merely functional items but also carried significant symbolic and cultural meanings. The term "collar" in the Bible is often associated with authority, servitude, and adornment. While the Bible does not frequently mention collars explicitly, the concept can be inferred from various passages and historical contexts.

Symbol of Authority and Honor

Collars in the ancient Near East were sometimes used as symbols of authority and honor. They were often part of the attire of individuals in positions of power or those who had been given special recognition. For instance, in Genesis 41:42, Pharaoh adorns Joseph with fine linen and a gold chain around his neck as a sign of his new authority: "Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck" . This gold chain can be understood as a type of collar, symbolizing Joseph's elevated status and authority in Egypt.

Sign of Servitude

Conversely, collars could also signify servitude or subjugation. In some ancient cultures, collars or yokes were placed on captives or slaves as a mark of their bondage. This imagery is reflected in the Bible, where the concept of a yoke often symbolizes oppression or servitude. For example, in Jeremiah 27:2, the prophet is instructed to make a yoke and put it on his neck as a symbol of the impending Babylonian captivity: "This is what the LORD said to me: 'Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your neck'" . While not a collar in the decorative sense, the yoke serves a similar symbolic function, representing control and submission.

Adornment and Wealth

Collars were also used as decorative items, indicating wealth and status. In the Song of Solomon, the beloved is described with imagery that suggests adornment and beauty, which may include necklaces or collars: "Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels" (Song of Solomon 1:10). This passage highlights the use of ornamental collars as expressions of beauty and wealth.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the broader cultural and historical context of the Bible, collars were part of the attire of both men and women, often crafted from precious metals and stones. They were used in various cultures surrounding Israel, including Egypt and Mesopotamia, where they served both practical and symbolic purposes.

Spiritual Implications

From a spiritual perspective, the imagery of collars and yokes in the Bible often points to deeper truths about freedom and bondage. Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:29-30 to take His yoke upon oneself is a call to a different kind of servitude—one that is light and freeing: "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" . Here, the yoke symbolizes submission to Christ, which paradoxically brings true freedom and rest.

In summary, while collars are not frequently mentioned in the Bible, their symbolic meanings as indicators of authority, servitude, and adornment are woven throughout the biblical narrative, reflecting the cultural and spiritual dynamics of the times.

A Peal of Bells
... The word is translated by some critics, "bells," by others, "bits," by some,
"frontlets," by others, "collars," by some, and by Calvin especially, "blinkers ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/a peal of bells.htm

Against Excessive Fondness for Jewels and Gold Ornaments.
... decoration. Accordingly the comic poet Nicostratus says, "Chains, collars,
rings, bracelets, serpents, anklets, earrings." [1560]. ...
/.../the instructor paedagogus/chapter xiiiagainst excessive fondness for.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty
... as trophies, captured a chariot, took one prisoner, and obtained as reward a valuable
collection of jewellery, consisting of collars, bracelets, sculptured ...
/.../chapter iiithe eighteenth theban dynasty.htm

The Fashionable Fallacy is that by Education we Can Give People ...
... Somewhere far down in the dim boyish soul is a primordial yearning to learn Greek
accents or to wear clean collars; and the schoolmaster only gently and ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 32 the fashionable fallacy.htm

Fragments of Lactantius
... And this is what the poet intended to signify when he said,". "Gold collars deck
their milk-white necks," [2009]. when he might have used the word white. ...
/.../of the manner in which the persecutors died/fragments of lactantius.htm

The Red Shoes
... door of the choir, it seemed to her as if the old pictures on the tombstones, the
portraits of clergymen and clergymen's wives, in their stiff collars and long ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the red shoes.htm

The Emperor and Empress
... Round the apse at the end stood a guard of tall and fully armed Gothic soldiers
in their collars of gold, and nearest the Emperor stood the four Pr??torian ...
/.../chapter xviii the emperor and.htm

Goths at Antioch
... They marched around the chariot of the Minister in the splendour of their
armour"their necks encircled with collars of gold, the tawny wolfskins belted over ...
/.../chapter xi goths at antioch.htm

That the Natural Inclination which we have to Love God is not ...
... to whose love it moves us, giving us a secret intimation that we belong to his divine
goodness; even as harts upon whom princes have had collars put with their ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xviii that the natural.htm

Arsacius Elected to Succeed John. The Evils Wrought against the ...
... orders, and forcibly stripped the women of their ornaments, and carried off as booty
their chains, their golden girdles, necklaces, and their collars of rings ...
/.../chapter xxiii arsacius elected to succeed.htm

Collars (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Collars (1 Occurrence). Judges 8:26 And the weight
of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand ...
/c/collars.htm - 6k

Collar (6 Occurrences)
... 39:23). The "collars" (Hebrews netiphoth) among the spoils of the Midianites
(Judges 8:26; RV, "pendants") were ear-drops. The same ...
/c/collar.htm - 11k

Collateral (11 Occurrences)

/c/collateral.htm - 10k

Worn (29 Occurrences)
... seven hundred shekels of gold; besides the crescents and the pendants and the purple
garments worn by the kings of Mid'ian, and besides the collars that were ...
/w/worn.htm - 14k

Fin
... 9. (n.) The thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls
in the process of rolling. 10. (n.) A feather; a spline. 11. ...
/f/fin.htm - 7k

Pendant (1 Occurrence)
... and American). (1) netiphoth (the King James Version "collars"), ornaments
of the Midianites captured by Gideon (Judges 8:26). (2 ...
/p/pendant.htm - 8k

Bolster (7 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) A cushioned or a piece of soft wood covered with tarred canvas, placed on
the trestletrees and against the mast, for the collars of the shrouds to rest ...
/b/bolster.htm - 12k

Ornaments (50 Occurrences)
... Judges 8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand
and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple ...
/o/ornaments.htm - 22k

Mid'ian (47 Occurrences)
... seven hundred shekels of gold; besides the crescents and the pendants and the purple
garments worn by the kings of Mid'ian, and besides the collars that were ...
/m/mid'ian.htm - 20k

Raiment (75 Occurrences)
... Judges 8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand
and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple ...
/r/raiment.htm - 31k

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