In the Bible, the nose is mentioned in various contexts, often symbolizing discernment, beauty, and even judgment. The Hebrew word for nose, "aph," is also translated as "anger" or "nostrils" in certain passages, indicating the multifaceted significance of this facial feature in biblical literature.

Symbol of Discernment and Anger

The nose is sometimes associated with the concept of discernment or the ability to "smell" or perceive things. In a metaphorical sense, the nose can represent the discernment of God. For example, in Isaiah 65:5, the phrase "smoke in My nostrils" is used to describe something that provokes God's anger, illustrating how the nose can symbolize divine judgment and displeasure.

Beauty and Adornment

In the Song of Solomon, the nose is highlighted as a feature of beauty and attraction. Song of Solomon 7:4 states, "Your neck is like a tower of ivory; your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon facing toward Damascus." Here, the nose is compared to a tower, suggesting strength and elegance, contributing to the overall beauty of the beloved.

Cultural Practices

The Bible also references cultural practices involving the nose, such as the wearing of nose rings. In Genesis 24:22, Abraham's servant gives Rebekah a gold nose ring as a gift, indicating wealth and status. This practice is further mentioned in Ezekiel 16:12 , where God says, "And I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head," symbolizing the adornment and favor bestowed upon Jerusalem.

Judgment and Consequence

The nose is also mentioned in contexts of judgment and consequence. In 2 Kings 19:28 , God declares, "Because your rage against Me and your arrogance have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth, and I will send you back the way you came." This imagery of a hook in the nose signifies control and subjugation, often used to describe the fate of those who oppose God.

Sacrificial Offerings

In the context of sacrificial offerings, the aroma pleasing to God is often described as reaching His nostrils. Leviticus 1:9 states, "The priest is to burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD." This indicates that the nose, or the sense of smell, is metaphorically used to describe God's acceptance of offerings and worship.

Overall, the nose in biblical texts serves as a symbol of discernment, beauty, cultural practice, judgment, and divine acceptance. Its various mentions throughout Scripture highlight its significance in both literal and metaphorical contexts.639. aph -- a nostril, nose, face, anger
... angry (2), angry* (5), before (2), breath (1), countenance (1), double (1), face
(15), faces (4), forbearance* (1), ground (1), nose (10), noses (1), nostril (1 ...
/hebrew/639.htm - 6k

None of These Answers Will You Give Us. You Turn to Other Things ...
... the loss of a single member or the cutting off of any part of the body." Do you
suppose that what we feared was that we might rise without noses and ears, that ...
/.../5 none of these answers.htm

Here, it May be Said, My Book Ends Just Where it Ought to Begin. . ...
... would be easy to pull out all the teeth of the poor; if their nails were disgustingly
dirty, their nails could be plucked out; if their noses were indecently ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 46 here it may.htm

Tobacco.
... The pipes of smokers were thrust through their noses in Turkey, and in Russia the
noses of smokers were cut off in the earlier part of the seventeenth century. ...
/.../judy/questionable amusements and worthy substitutes/i tobacco.htm

Christian Morals. Part ii.
... SINCE [120] the brow speaks often true, since eyes and noses have tongues, and the
countenance proclaims the heart and inclinations; let observation so far ...
//christianbookshelf.org/browne/christian morals/christian morals part ii.htm

The Eternal Revolution
... One can imagine that some automatic tendency in biology might work for
giving us longer and longer noses. But the question is, do ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/orthodoxy/vii the eternal revolution.htm

Brother Hugh
... offices. All these the novice took with gusto, safe hidden from the flash
of emerald eyes and the witchery of hypergeometrical noses. ...
/.../marson/hugh bishop of lincoln/chapter ii brother hugh.htm

The Provinces.
... Intaphernes was incensed at the officers' insolence, as he called it. He
drew his sword, and cut off their noses and their ears. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter v the provinces.htm

The Races --A Letter
... As for jewels, of gold as well as silver, there were many there, on arms, ankles,
necks, and noses, which made white ladies fresh from England break the tenth ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xv the racesa letter.htm

That Idols are not Gods, and that the Elements are not to Be
... 3703] Also in the Wisdom of Solomon: "They counted all the idols of the nations
to be gods, which neither have the use of eyes to see, nor noses to draw breath ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/1 that idols are not.htm

The Last Few Decades have Been Marked by a Special Cultivation of ...
... or beauty. Some battleships are as beautiful as the sea; and many Norman
nosepieces were as ugly as Norman noses. The atmospheric ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 4 the last few.htm

Noses (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Noses (4 Occurrences). Psalms 115:6 They have ears,
but they don't hear. They have noses, but they don't smell. ...
/n/noses.htm - 7k

Nose (23 Occurrences)
... A cruel custom of war, in which the vanquished had their noses and ears cut off
by their remorseless conquerors, is alluded to in Ezekiel 23:25. ...
/n/nose.htm - 19k

Nostrils (22 Occurrences)
... A cruel custom of war, in which the vanquished had their noses and ears cut off
by their remorseless conquerors, is alluded to in Ezekiel 23:25. ...
/n/nostrils.htm - 17k

Nose-rings (5 Occurrences)
Nose-rings. Nose-ring, Nose-rings. Noses . Multi-Version Concordance Nose-rings
(5 Occurrences). ... (BBE). Nose-ring, Nose-rings. Noses . Reference Bible.
/n/nose-rings.htm - 7k

Nostril (4 Occurrences)

/n/nostril.htm - 7k

Ear (670 Occurrences)
... The cutting off of the ears and noses of captives was an atrocious custom of war
frequently alluded to in oriental literature, (Ezekiel 23:25). ...
/e/ear.htm - 42k

Dionysus
... legend he is represented as coming from India, as traversing Asia in a triumphal
march, accompanied by woodland beings, with pointed ears, snub noses and goat ...
/d/dionysus.htm - 9k

Passengers (6 Occurrences)
... that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley
of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the ...
/p/passengers.htm - 8k

Bacchus
... legend he is represented as coming from India, as traversing Asia in a triumphal
march, accompanied by woodland beings, with pointed ears, snub noses and goat ...
/b/bacchus.htm - 12k

Amorites (82 Occurrences)
... mountaineers. They are represented on the Egyptian monuments with fair skins,
light hair, blue eyes, aquiline noses, and pointed beards. ...
/a/amorites.htm - 50k

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