their signet rings and nose rings;
Parallel translations
- WEB the signet rings, the nose rings,
- KJV The rings, and nose jewels,
- NKJV and the rings; The nose jewels,
- NASB finger rings, nose rings,
- NLT rings, jewels,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Signet rings and nose rings are added to the list of adornments God will remove. The signet, a symbol of authority and identity, signals that even social standing offers no protection.
Overview
The signet ring was a personal seal used to authenticate documents and represented a person's name and authority. Its removal hints that the very identity and influence the proud relied upon will be taken. The verse continues to expose how fragile human status is apart from the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Gen 24:47Then 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 Pet 3:3–4Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,
- Luke 15:22But 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.
- Esth 8:12The single day appointed throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
- 1 Tim 2:9–10Likewise, 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,
- Gen 41:42Then 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.
- Song 5:14His arms are rods of gold set with beryl. His body is an ivory panel bedecked with sapphires.
- Ezek 16:12I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.
- Jas 2:2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 3:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.