Jewel

Jewel - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

JEW'EL, n. [Low L. jocale.]

1. An ornament worn by ladies,usually consisting of a precious stone, or set with one or more; a pendant worn in the ear.

2. A precious stone.

3. A name expressive of fondness. A mother calls her child, her jewel.

JEW'EL, v.t. To dress or adorn with jewels.

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 (Ge 24:53; Ex 3:22; 11:2; 12:35; 35:22; 1Sa 6:8,15, etc.; the Revised Version (British and American) in 2Ch 32:27 translations "vessels"). In So 1:10, where the King James Version has "rows (of jewels)," the Revised Version (British and American) has "plaits (of hair)"; in So 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 (Pr 11:22; Isa 3:21; Eze 16:12); the American Standard Revised Version changes Pr 11:22 to "ring" Septuagint here = "earring"), and both the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version have "ring" in Eze 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.

James Orr