In biblical times, marriage was a significant covenant, and the adornment of the bride held both cultural and spiritual significance. Bridal ornaments were not merely decorative but symbolized various aspects of the marriage covenant, including purity, beauty, and the joy of the union.

Cultural Context

Bridal ornaments in ancient Israel and surrounding cultures often included jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and anklets. These items were typically made from precious metals and stones, reflecting the wealth and status of the bride's family. The adornment of the bride was an expression of joy and celebration, marking the transition from singleness to the sacred bond of marriage.

Biblical References

The Bible provides several references to bridal ornaments, highlighting their importance in the marriage ceremony. In Isaiah 61:10, the prophet uses the imagery of a bride adorned with jewels to describe the joy and righteousness bestowed upon God's people: "I will rejoice greatly in the LORD; my soul will exult in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Similarly, in Jeremiah 2:32, the prophet laments Israel's forgetfulness of God, using the metaphor of a bride forgetting her adornments: "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number."

Ezekiel 16:11-13 provides a vivid description of God's lavish care for Jerusalem, likening it to a bride adorned with fine jewelry: "I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen."

Symbolism and Spiritual Significance

Bridal ornaments in the Bible often symbolize the beauty and purity expected in the marital relationship. They serve as a metaphor for the spiritual adornment of God's people, who are called to be pure and holy, set apart for Him. The adornment of the bride is a reflection of the inner beauty and righteousness that God desires in His covenant people.

In the New Testament, the Church is often depicted as the bride of Christ, adorned and prepared for the heavenly marriage feast. Revelation 19:7-8 speaks of the marriage of the Lamb: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure." This imagery underscores the spiritual preparation and purity required of the Church as the bride of Christ.

Conclusion

Bridal ornaments in the biblical context are rich with cultural and spiritual meaning. They not only enhance the beauty of the bride but also serve as powerful symbols of the covenant relationship between God and His people, and between Christ and the Church. Through these adornments, the Bible communicates themes of joy, purity, and the sacredness of the marriage covenant.Isaiah 49:18
Lift up your eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, said the LORD, you shall surely clothe you with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on you, as a bride does.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 2:32
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
Nave's Topical Index

Would Indeed that Some Profit Might Come to Myself from this ...
... He takes off the bridal ornaments and clothes her with the colours of bereavement. ...
then, so strangely different are the ills with which marriage supplies the ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/chapter iii would indeed that.htm

St. Ambrose, in Concluding the Second Book, Ascribes any Good ...
... love the Lord thy God." [3249] At bridal feasts we ... adorn the hair at least with some
ornaments of prayer ... the golden supports of the heavenly marriage couch on ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter vi st ambrose in.htm

Match-Making.
... to external beauty alone; but also to the ornaments of an ... too many in this day of
money-making, marriage is but ... for money you have them led to the bridal altar ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xxiii match-making.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, "When Jesus had Finished These Sayings ...
... or marks upon her, take away her ornaments; if a ... Marriage would not have been venerable
unless it had borne ... that thou too canst say with the bridal drama and ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxxvii on the words.htm

Funeral Oration on Meletius .
... How have you been robbed of your ornaments! ... religion, she remained chaste and kept
the marriage vow. ... 2086] , made an attempt upon the immaculate bridal-chamber ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/funeral oration on meletius.htm

Colossians iv. 12, 13
... are counted blest, as many as are in bridal chambers, as ... When [927] then thou makest
a marriage, go not round ... Adorn the bride not with these ornaments that are ...
/.../homily xii colossians iv 12.htm

The Great Furnace for a Great Soul
... The matter of Ai Do's marriage had been under consideration ... In vain were the silver
ornaments and fine clothes ... she was dressed in the scarlet bridal clothes, a ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xi the great furnace.htm

Letter cxxx. To Demetrias.
... was now close at hand and when a marriage chamber was ... you find a matron to be present
at your bridal? ... her as so many hindrances all her ornaments and worldly ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxx to demetrias.htm

Ephesians v. 22-24
... he first receives her into the bridal chamber, teach ... and the tissues, and the golden
ornaments, and silver ... Take away from marriage all those shameful, those ...
/.../homily xx ephesians v 22-24.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... of a young girl decked as for her bridal"the "Bride ... the man at the time of marriage
promised obedience ... Both men and women loved ornaments, and covered their ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

What does the Bible say about the concept of a common law marriage? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about gay marriage / same sex marriage? | GotQuestions.org

Questions about Marriage (All) | GotQuestions.org

Marriage: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus