רְדִיד

From the study of Song of Songs 5:7

Range of meaning

The word is rare and its exact meaning is uncertain. It appears only twice: here and in Isaiah 3:23, in a catalogue of the luxury clothing of Jerusalem's wealthy women. It most likely comes from the root r-d-d, "to beat out thin, spread out" (compare 1 Kings 6:32, gold "spread" over carvings). That suggests a thin, wide piece of cloth: a shawl, light wrap or mantle, probably draped over the head and shoulders. HALOT gives roughly "wide wrap, shawl". BDB gives "wide wrapper or mantle".

Against the English

KJV, YLT and ESV say "veil". BSB, WEB and NIV say "cloak". NASB says "shawl". "Veil" makes modern readers think of a face covering or a bridal veil. "Cloak" suggests a heavy outer coat. "Shawl" or "wrap" is probably closest.

How it drifted

"Veil" in English has narrowed toward face and bridal veils. The Hebrew word does not specify the face, and the ancient Greek translation (theristron, a light summer wrap) points to a light covering garment rather than a face veil.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 3:23 lists it among the finery God will strip from the proud women of Zion, so it was a respectable and probably fine garment. The Greek Septuagint uses theristron in both places (the word also appears in Genesis 24:65 and 38:14, 19 for the coverings of Rebekah and Tamar). The Latin Vulgate has pallium, a mantle. In 5:3 she had already taken off her tunic (kuttōnet) for the night, so many readers picture the redid as the wrap she threw on when she ran out. That fits the scene, but the text does not say it.