Jewels in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

ju'-el, joo'-el: An ornament of gold, silver or of precious stones in the form of armlet, bracelet, anklet, nose-ring, etc. Oriental dress yields itself freely to such adornment, to which there are many allusions in Scripture. a frequent term in Hebrew is keli ("utensil," "vessel"), coupled with mention of "gold" or "silver" or both (Gen 24:53; Ex 3:22; 11:2; 12:35; 35:22; 1 Sam 6:8,15, etc.; the Revised Version (British and American) in 2 Ch 32:27 translations "vessels"). In Song 1:10, where the King James Version has "rows (of jewels)," the Revised Version (British and American) has "plaits (of hair)"; in Song 7:1, the word is from a root chalah, meaning "to adorn." In 3 instances in the King James Version "jewel" represents the Hebrew nezem (Prov 11:22; Isa 3:21; Ezek 16:12); the American Standard Revised Version changes Prov 11:22 to "ring" Septuagint here = "earring"), and both the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version have "ring" in Ezek 16:12. The familiar phrase in Mal 3:17, "in that day when I make up my jewels," becomes in the English Revised Version, "in the day that I do make, even a peculiar treasure" (margin "or, wherein I do make a peculiar treasure"), and in the American Standard Revised Version, "even mine own possession, in the day that I make" (margin "or, do this"). See, further, ORNAMENT; DRESS; STONES, PRECIOUS.