רְעָלָה

From the study of Isaiah 3:19

Range of meaning

A veil or scarf. The word appears only here. It probably comes from the root רעל, meaning "to quiver, reel, shake" (compare tarʿēlāh, "reeling", in Isaiah 51:17). That suggests a light, fluttering veil. Arabic riʿl, a long veil worn by women, is often cited as a related word.

Against the English

BSB, WEB and NIV-type versions say "veils". Some versions use "scarves". KJV and YLT say "mufflers", which in 1611 meant a wrap or kerchief over the lower face and neck. Today that word suggests a winter scarf or part of a car exhaust.

How it drifted

"Muffler" in its 17th-century sense (a face or neck wrap) has largely dropped out of English. Separately, modern readers tend to link "veil" with religious modesty rules from much later periods, which this context does not support.

Used elsewhere in the period

There is no other biblical occurrence. Other veil words in the Hebrew Bible are different: ṣāʿîp (Genesis 24:65; 38:14) and ṣammāh (Song 4:1; Isaiah 47:2). Fine fabrics such as linen and dyed goods were high-status imports in the Iron Age Levant.