Bracelet

Bracelets were among the most common ornamental jewelry in the ancient Near East, worn by both men and women on the wrist and arm. In the Old Testament they appear as gifts symbolizing betrothal and social status: Abraham's servant gave Rebekah a gold bracelet as part of the gifts signaling Isaac's intention (Gen. 24:22, 30, 47). Women's bracelets are included among the luxury ornaments Isaiah condemns in his catalog of Judah's pride (Isa. 3:19), and anklets ('ets'adah) are listed among the spoils brought back from the Midianite war (Num. 31:50).

The bracelet on Saul's arm brought to David by the Amalekite claiming to have killed the king (2 Sam. 1:10) was evidently a royal ornament marking his status. In Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures bracelets carried specific symbolic and votive significance, and the tradition of exchanging bracelets as tokens of covenant or alliance has parallels across the ancient Near East. The lavish bracelets and jewelry described in Ezekiel 16:11 are part of God's adornment of Jerusalem as his bride—an image of divine generosity that makes subsequent unfaithfulness all the more culpable.