Bible Strands
Isaiah 3:21
their signet rings and nose rings;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah pronounces judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, cataloging the luxury items God will strip from the city's women as part of the coming desolation.
The words — The text lists הַטַּבְּעֹת (haṭṭaḇʿōṯ), meaning "the signet rings," alongside וְנִזְמֵי הָאָף (wəniḏmê hāʾap̄), literally "and [the] rings of the nose."
The thread — This inventory of removed adornments parallels the warning in 1 Peter 3:3 against treating outward jewelry as the basis of worth, while Genesis 41:42 records a signet ring used for royal authority. The nose ring appears in Genesis 24:47 as a betrothal gift.
Why it lands — The verse places specific luxury items in a prophetic inventory of divine removal, asking the reader to recognize that cultural markers of status and wealth are subject to judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The rings, and nose jewels,
Cross-references
- Genesis 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
- 1 Peter 3:3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,
- Genesis 41:42 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.
- Esther 8:12 The single day appointed throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
- Song of Solomon 5:14 His arms are rods of gold set with beryl. His body is polished ivory bedecked with sapphires.
- Ezekiel 16:12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.
- Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
- 1 Timothy 2:9 Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,
- James 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.