Bible Encyclopedia: Nose

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

FLAT NOSE

(charum; Septuagint koloborin):

Used only in Leviticus 21:18 as the name of a deformity which disqualified a member of a priestly family for serving the altar.

The root of the word signifies "to cut off" or "to cut flat," and in the Revised Version, margin "slit nose" is substituted. The condition indicated is most probably the depressed, flattened nose which so often accompanies harelip, especially in its double form.

A mere snub-nose can scarcely be regarded as a blemish of sufficient importance to unfit a priest for the service of "offering the bread of God"; but harelip, like blindness or the other congenital malformations or deformities enumerated in this passage, might well render a son of Aaron unfit or unsuitable for public religious duty.

Alexander Macalister

NOSE; NOSTRILS

noz, nos'-trilz ('aph, "nose," nechirayim, dual of nechir, "nostrils"): The former expression ('aph from 'anph, like Arabic 'anf) is often translated "face" (which see under the word) in the English Versions of the Bible. It is frequently referred to as the organ of breathing, in other words, as the receptacle of the breath or spirit of God: "Yahweh.... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7; compare Genesis 7:22); "My life is yet whole in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils" (Job 27:3). Therefore a life which depends on so slight a thing as a breath is considered as utterly frail and of no great consequence: "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isaiah 2:22; compare Wis 2:2).

In poetical language such a breath of life is ascribed even to God, especially with regard to the mighty storm which is thought to proceed from His nostrils (Exodus 15:8 2 Samuel 22:9 Psalm 18:8, 15).

The phrase, "a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day" (Isaiah 65:5), is equivalent to a perpetual annoyance and cause of irritation. 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. As a wild animal is held in check by having his nose pierced and a hook or ring inserted in it (Job 40:24; Job 41:2 (Hebrew 40:26)), so this expression is used to indicate the humbling and taming of an obstinate person (2 Kings 19:28 Isaiah 37:29; compare Ezekiel 29:4; Ezekiel 38:4). But men, and especially women, had their noses pierced for the wearing of jewelry (Genesis 24:47 Isaiah 3:21 Ezekiel 16:12). In one passage the meaning is not quite clear, namely, in the enumeration of blemishes which disable a "son of Aaron" from the execution of the priest's office (Leviticus 21:18), where English Versions of the Bible translates "flat (margin "slit") nose." The Hebrew word is charum, which is a hapax legomenon. It corresponds, however, to the Arabic charam, charman (kharam, kharman), which means "to open," "to pierce the nose," especially the bridge of the nose. We may accept this meaning as the one intended in the passage.

Another dark and much discussed passage must still be referred to: "And, lo, they put the branch to their nose" (Ezekiel 8:17). The usual explanation (whereof the context gives some valuable hints) is that a rite connected with the worship of Baal (the sun) is here alluded to (see Smend and A.B. Davidson's commentaries on the passage). A similar custom is known from Persian sun-worship, where a bunch (baretsma) of dates, pomegranates or tamarisks was held to the nose by the worshipper, probably as an attempt to keep the Holy One (sun) from being contaminated by sinful breath (Spiegel, Eranische Altertamer, III, 571). Among modern Jews posies of myrtle and other fragrant herbs are held to the nose by the persons attending on the ceremony of circumcision, for the alleged reason of making the sight and smell of blood bearable. Another interpretation of the above passage would understand zemorah, in the sense of "male sexual member" (see Gesenius-Buhl, under the word; Levy, Nhb. Worterbuch, I, 544), and the whole passage as a reference to a sensuous Canaanite rite, such as is perhaps alluded to in Isaiah 57:8. In that case the 'appam, "their nose "of the Massoretic Text would have to be considered as tiqqun copherim (a correction of the scribes) for 'appi, "my face." Or read "They cause their stench (zemoratham) to come up to my face" (Kraetzschmar, at the place).

See BRANCH.

H. L. E. Luering

Greek

3456. mukterizo -- to turn up the nose or sneer at
... to turn up the nose or sneer at. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: mukterizo
Phonetic Spelling: (mook-tay-rid'-zo) Short Definition: I sneer at, disdain ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3456.htm - 6k

1592. ekmukterizo -- to hold up the nose in derision of
... to hold up the nose in derision of. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: ekmukterizo
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-mook-ter-id'-zo) Short Definition: I deride, scoff ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1592.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

639. aph -- a nostril, nose, face, anger
... 638, 639. aph. 640 . a nostril, nose, face, anger. Transliteration: aph
Phonetic Spelling: (af) Short Definition: anger. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/639.htm - 6k

2763. charam -- to ban, devote, exterminate
... make accursed, consecrate, utterly destroy, devote, forfeit, have a flat nose,
utterly slay A primitive root; to seclude; specifically ...
/hebrew/2763.htm - 5k

2397. chach -- hook, ring, fetter
... Once (Ezek. 29:4) chachiy {khakh-ee'}; from the same as chowach; a ring for the
nose (or lips) -- bracelet, chain, hook. see HEBREW chowach. 2396, 2397. ...
/hebrew/2397.htm - 6k

5141. nezem -- a ring (worn as an ornament)
... earring, jewel. From an unused root of uncertain meaning; a nose-ring -- earring,
jewel. 5140, 5141. nezem. 5142 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5141.htm - 6k

4170. moqesh -- a bait or lure, a snare
... Or moqesh {mo-kashe'}; from yaqosh; a noose (for catching animals) (literally or
figuratively): by implication, a hook (for the nose) -- be ensnared, gin, (is ...
/hebrew/4170.htm - 6k

2336. choach -- briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter
... bramble, thistle, thorn. From an unused root apparently meaning to pierce; a thorn;
by analogy, a ring for the nose -- bramble, thistle, thorn. 2335, 2336. ...
/hebrew/2336.htm - 6k

2629. chasam -- to stop up, muzzle
... muzzle, stop. A primitive root; to muzzle; by analogy, to stop the nose -- muzzle,
stop. 2628, 2629. chasam. 2630 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/2629.htm - 5k

Library

One Day when Old Diamond was Standing with his Nose in his Bag ...
... Chapter 19 One day when old Diamond was standing with his nose in his
bag between Pall� One day when old Diamond was standing ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 19 one day when.htm

What Manner of Man Ought not to Come to Rule.
... And it is also immediately subjoined; If he be blind, if he be lame, if he have
either a small or a large and crooked nose, if he be brokenfooted or ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter xi what manner of.htm

The Argument for Christian Practices Becomes all the Stronger...
... of hearing he has planted in the ears; that of sight, lighted up in the eyes; that
of taste, shut up in the mouth; that of smell, wafted into the nose; that of ...
/.../tertullian/the chaplet or de corona/chapter v the argument for.htm

Of the Outer Limbs of Man, and their Use.
... And the nose, arising from the confines of these, and stretched out, as it were,
with an equal ridge, at once serves to separate and to protect the two eyes. ...
/.../lactantius/on the workmanship of god/chap x of the outer limbs.htm

Chapter vii
... Thy neck is as a tower of ivory, thine eyes like the fish-pools in Heshbon, by the
gate of Bathrabbim; thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looked toward ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/chapter vii.htm

Thy Neck is as a Tower of ivory; Thine Eyes Like the Fish-Pools in ...
... 4. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fish-pools in Heshbon, which
are in the gate of the daughter of the multitude; thy nose is as the tower ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/4 thy neck is as.htm

Physical Characteristics.
... His complexion was ruddy, his hair neither thick nor crisp curling, his beard scanty
and not growing in many places, his nose slightly hooked, and his eyes ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/section 3 physical characteristics.htm

How those are to be Admonished who Sin from Sudden Impulse and ...
... Hence, again, it is said to the bride, Thy nose is as the tower that is in Lebanon
(Cant. ... By the nose, also, we discern between odours and stenches. ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter xxxii how those are.htm

Care of the Speaker's Throat
... It should be no longer necessary to warn the speaker to breathe exclusively
through the nose when not actually using the voice. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kleiser/talks on talking/care of the speakers throat.htm

The Adventures of Saint Denis of France.
... Le Crapeau's partner was the last to quit it, and as he rushed after her to utter
a tender adieu, instead of the lady, his nose came with such force in contact ...
/.../kingston/the seven champions of christendom/chapter five the adventures of.htm

ATS Bible Dictionary

Nose

Several expressions in Scripture grew out of the fact that anger often shows itself by distended nostrils, hard breathing, and in animals by snorting, 2 Samuel 22:9 Job 39:20 Psalm 18:8. Gold rings hung in the cartilage of the nose, or the left nostril, were favorite ornaments of eastern women, Proverbs 11:22 Ezekiel 16:12. Rings were inserted in the noses of animals, to guide and control them; and according to the recently discovered tablets at Nineveh, captives among the Assyrians were sometimes treated in the same way, 2 Kings 19:28 Ezekiel 38:4. See NINEVEH.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) The prominent part of the face or anterior extremity of the head containing the nostrils and olfactory cavities; the olfactory organ. See Olfactory.

2. (n.) The power of smelling; hence, scent.

3. (n.) A projecting end or beak at the front of an object; a snout; a nozzle; a spout; as, the nose of a bellows; the nose of a teakettle.

4. (v. t.) To smell; to scent; hence, to track, or trace out.

5. (v. t.) To touch with the nose; to push the nose into or against; hence, to interfere with; to treat insolently.

6. (v. t.) To utter in a nasal manner; to pronounce with a nasal twang; as, to nose a prayer.

7. (v. i.) To smell; to sniff; to scent.

8. (v. i.) To pry officiously into what does not concern one.

Thesaurus

Nose (23 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A projecting end or beak at the front of an object; a snout; a nozzle;
a spout; as, the nose of a bellows; the nose of a teakettle. ...
/n/nose.htm - 19k

Nose-jewels (1 Occurrence)
Nose-jewels. Nosejewels, Nose-jewels. Nose-ring . Easton's Bible Dictionary
Only ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NOSE-JEWELS. noz ...
/n/nose-jewels.htm - 9k

Nose-rings (5 Occurrences)
Nose-rings. Nose-ring, Nose-rings. Noses . Multi-Version Concordance
Nose-rings (5 Occurrences). Exodus 35:22 And they ...
/n/nose-rings.htm - 7k

Nose-ring (4 Occurrences)
Nose-ring. Nose-jewels, Nose-ring. Nose-rings . Multi-Version Concordance
Nose-ring (4 Occurrences). Genesis 24:22 And when the ...
/n/nose-ring.htm - 7k

Nosejewels
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NOSE-JEWELS. noz-ju'-elz, -joo'-elz (nezem
(probably from nazam, "muzzle") a "nose-ring," or "nose...
/n/nosejewels.htm - 8k

Nostrils (22 Occurrences)
...NOSE; NOSTRILS. ... The phrase, "a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day"
(Isaiah 65:5), is equivalent to a perpetual annoyance and cause of irritation. ...
/n/nostrils.htm - 17k

Snuff (6 Occurrences)
... 3. (vi) To draw in, or to inhale, forcibly through the nose; to sniff. 4.
(vi) To perceive by the nose; to scent; to smell. 5. (vi ...
/s/snuff.htm - 8k

Ornaments (50 Occurrences)
... Genesis 24:22 And when the camels had had enough, the man took a gold nose-ring,
half a shekel in weight, and two ornaments for her arms of ten shekels weight ...
/o/ornaments.htm - 22k

Flat (33 Occurrences)
... FLAT NOSE. ... The root of the word signifies "to cut off" or "to cut flat," and
in the Revised Version, margin "slit nose" is substituted. ...
/f/flat.htm - 21k

Ring (33 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Used as an ornament to decorate the fingers,
arms, wrists, and also the ears and the nose. Rings were ...
/r/ring.htm - 24k

Bible Concordance

Nose (23 Occurrences)

Genesis 24:22 And when the camels had had enough, the man took a gold nose-ring, half a shekel in weight, and two ornaments for her arms of ten shekels weight of gold;
(BBE NIV)

Genesis 24:47 I asked her, and said,'Whose daughter are you?' She said,'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 21:18 For whatever man he is that has a blemish, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity,
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS)

Deuteronomy 33:10 They teach Thy judgments to Jacob, And Thy law to Israel; They put perfume in Thy nose, And whole burnt-offering on Thine altar.
(YLT)

2 Samuel 22:9 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: coals were lighted by it.
(BBE)

2 Kings 19:28 Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose, and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 33:11 Therefore Yahweh brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
(See NIV)

Job 40:24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 41:2 Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 41:20 Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
(BBE)

Psalms 18:8 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
(BBE)

Psalms 115:6 They have ears, but they don't hear. They have noses, but they don't smell.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 135:17 Ears they have, and they give not ear, Nose -- there is no breath in their mouth!
(YLT)

Proverbs 11:22 Like a ring of gold in the nose of a pig, is a beautiful woman who has no sense.
(BBE YLT)

Proverbs 30:33 For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Song of Songs 7:4 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Song of Songs 7:8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
(KJV DBY WBS)

Isaiah 3:21 the signet rings, the nose rings,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 37:29 Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 65:5 who say, Stand by yourself, don't come near to me, for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS)

Ezekiel 8:17 Then he said to me, Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and behold, they put the branch to their nose.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 16:12 I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 23:25 I will set my jealousy against you, and they shall deal with you in fury; they shall take away your nose and your ears; and your residue shall fall by the sword: they shall take your sons and your daughters; and your residue shall be devoured by the fire.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Related Terms

Nose-jewels (1 Occurrence)

Nose-rings (5 Occurrences)

Nose-ring (4 Occurrences)

Nosejewels

Nostrils (22 Occurrences)

Snuff (6 Occurrences)