Hebrew word · H5141
נֶ֫זֶם
nezem
ring
A ring worn on the face or ears, either a nose ring (Gen 24:47; Isa 3:21; Ezek 16:12) or an earring (Gen 35:4; Exod 32:2). It was usually gold, and it was a mark of status and of being adorned as a bride or a beloved woman.
Appears 17 times in 16 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) ring, nose ring, earring
1a) nose ring (woman's ornament)
1b) earring (ornament of men or women)
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A ring worn on the face or ears, either a nose ring (Gen 24:47; Isa 3:21; Ezek 16:12) or an earring (Gen 35:4; Exod 32:2). It was usually gold, and it was a mark of status and of being adorned as a bride or a beloved woman.
- Against the English
BSB "rings" and KJV/WEB "earrings" each fix one possibility. The Hebrew can mean either; the context does not decide.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The word keeps company with idolatry. Jacob buries earrings along with foreign gods (Gen 35:4). The golden calf is made from earrings (Exod 32:2–4). Gideon makes an ephod from earrings and "all Israel whored after it" (Judg 8:24–27). In Ezek 16:12 it is God who puts the nose ring on his bride.
From the study of Proverbs 11:22
- Range of meaning
A ring worn as jewellery, either in the nose (Gen 24:47; Isa 3:21; Ezek 16:12) or in the ear (Gen 35:4; Exod 32:2-3; Judg 8:24). Often gold, and often part of what a woman or bride wore.
- Against the English
KJV's 'jewel of gold' hides the fact that this is specifically a ring. Modern versions' 'gold ring' is accurate. Here 'in the snout' fixes it as a nose-ring.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Abraham's servant puts a gold nezem on Rebekah's nose as the first token of her betrothal (Gen 24:22, 47). Isaiah lists 'nose-rings' among the finery of Jerusalem's women (Isa 3:21). In Ezekiel 16:12 God says to his bride Jerusalem, 'I put a ring on your nose.' Rings of this kind are well known from Levantine and wider ancient Near Eastern jewellery.
From the study of Proverbs 25:12
- Range of meaning
A ring worn as jewelry, either in the nose (Gen 24:47; Isa 3:21; Ezek 16:12) or in the ear (Gen 35:4; Exod 32:2; Judg 8:24). It was usually gold. It was worn by women and men, given as a gift or as bride-wealth, and counted as portable wealth.
- Against the English
'Earring' (BSB, KJV, WEB, NASB) and 'ring' (YLT, ESV) are both fair. 'Upon an ear' in the second line makes 'earring' the natural reading here.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Gen 24:22, 47 (the gold ring given to Rebekah); Gen 35:4 (earrings buried with foreign gods); Exod 32:2–3 (gold earrings melted for the calf); Judg 8:24–26 (Ishmaelite gold earrings); Job 42:11 (each friend gives Job 'a ring of gold'); Hos 2:13 [Heb 2:15] (nezem and chelyah, ring and jewelry, side by side); Prov 11:22 ('a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion'). Gold and silver earrings are common finds at Iron Age sites in the Levant.
Where it appears
Genesis · 4
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Genesis 24:22 נֶ֣זֶם a ring of
And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.
Here: A ring worn on the face or ear, not on a finger. Verse 47 shows this one went on her nose.
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Genesis 24:30 הַנֶּ֗זֶם the ring
As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.
Here: The gold ring the servant gave Rebekah. It weighed half a shekel (v. 22), and v. 47 says it was put 'on her nose', so here it is a nose ring.
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Genesis 24:47 הַנֶּ֙זֶם֙ the ring
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.
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Genesis 35:4 הַנְּזָמִ֖ים the rings
So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.
Exodus · 3
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Exodus 32:2 נִזְמֵ֣י [the] rings of
So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
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Exodus 32:3 נִזְמֵ֥י [the] rings of
Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
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Exodus 35:22 וָנֶ֜זֶם and earring[s]
So all who had willing hearts, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings, rings and necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry. And they all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD.
Here: 'And ring.' The word covers both earrings and nose-rings. It is the same word as the earrings the people stripped off for the golden calf in 32:2–3.
Judges · 4
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Judges 8:24 נֶ֣זֶם נִזְמֵ֤י <the> earring of, earrings of
Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
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Judges 8:25 נֶ֥זֶם <the> earring of
“We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
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Judges 8:26 נִזְמֵ֤י [the] earrings of
The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
Job · 1
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Job 42:11 נֶ֥זֶם a ring of
All his brothers and sisters and prior acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him over all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. And each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
Here: A ring worn in the nose or ear. Gold rings like this were jewellery and also a portable store of wealth.
Proverbs · 2
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Proverbs 11:22 נֶ֣זֶם a ring of
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
Here: The ring a woman wore as jewellery, here clearly a nose-ring because the next words put it 'in the snout'. It was a typical woman's ornament and a bridal gift (Gen 24:22, 47), so the image already points to a woman before she is mentioned.
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Proverbs 25:12 נֶ֣זֶם an earring of
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.
Here: A gold ring worn as jewelry. Elsewhere it can be a nose ring, but because the second line says 'upon an ear', an earring is clearly meant. The proverb opens on a picture of something precious and worn on the body.
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 3:21 וְנִזְמֵ֥י and [the] rings of
their signet rings and nose rings;
Ezekiel · 1
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Ezekiel 16:12 נֶ֙זֶם֙ a ring
I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.
Hosea · 1
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Hosea 2:13 נִזְמָהּ֙ ring[s] her
I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she adorned herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she forgot,” declares the LORD.
Here: "Her ring": a nose ring or earring. Grammatically singular, but it stands for her rings in general. Elsewhere this is the jewellery melted down for the golden calf (Exod 32:2) and for Gideon's ephod (Judg 8:24–27).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.