Bible Dictionary
Amulets
Amulets were ornaments, gems, or inscribed objects worn as supposed protections against enchantments. Biblical references connect some earrings with idolatrous practices and foreign religious customs.
Definition
Amulets were ornaments, gems, scrolls, or inscribed objects worn as supposed protections against enchantments. They commonly bore mysterious forms or characters and were associated with beliefs about magical preservation.
Biblical Usage
The earrings removed in Jacob’s household were connected with idolatrous worship and may have been amulets taken from the slain Shechemites. Earrings are also mentioned among Midianite spoils and in prophetic references to Israel’s unfaithfulness and adornment.
Historical Background
The supplied material presents amulets as objects used in surrounding religious and magical practices, often worn as ornaments.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
were ornaments, gems, scrolls. etc.. worn as preservatives against the power of enchantments, and generally inscribed with mystic forms or characters. The “earrings” in (Genesis 35:4) were obviously connected with idolatrous worship and were probably amulets taken from the bodies of the slain Shechemites. They are subsequently mentioned among the spoils of Midian. (Judges 8:24) In (Hosea 2:13) is another like reference. The “earrings” in (Isaiah 3:20) were also amulets.