Hebrew word · H8285
שֵׁרָה
vehasheirot
bracelet
A bracelet or arm ring. The word is very rare, and here it is spelled with an extra letter (שֵׁירוֹת). Lexicons compare it to Akkadian šewiru/šemeru, meaning "ring, bracelet". Some also link it to Hebrew šaršerāh, "chain", which would suggest a twisted or chain-like band.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
bracelet
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 bracelet or arm ring. The word is very rare, and here it is spelled with an extra letter (שֵׁירוֹת). Lexicons compare it to Akkadian šewiru/šemeru, meaning "ring, bracelet". Some also link it to Hebrew šaršerāh, "chain", which would suggest a twisted or chain-like band.
- Against the English
All the major English versions say "bracelets". That is a fair rendering, but it is less certain than it looks. The word could also cover an armlet or a twisted band.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Akkadian sources mention šewiru rings and bracelets among gifts and treasure. Wrist and arm rings are common finds in Iron Age Judahite and Assyrian contexts, and Assyrian palace reliefs show both men and women wearing them.
Where it appears
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 3:19 וְהַשֵּׁיר֖וֹת and the bracelets
their pendants, bracelets, and veils;
Here: "And the bracelets". The word is rare. It probably means a ring or band worn on the wrist or arm, possibly twisted or chain-like. Like the other items, it is a piece of precious metal on the body.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.