Looking for an Old Testament Scholar

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I was reading in Judges 8 and found something I had never noticed before...(This may be because the word crescent is not found in Judges passages in the NIV)

Judges 8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels...26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their
camels.

Similar ornaments are also mentioned in Isaiah. They were worn by some of the most vain women described in the scriptures. But the Lord would humble them too.

Isaiah 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;

Does anyone know what these "Crescent Ornaments" represented? Were they some form of idolatry? Were they worshipping the moon? Was it something that signified royalty? I've spent just a few minutes looking online, but haven't found any real clear answers. If you know anything about this, drop me a line.

Comments

Steven J said…
I'm certainly no Old Testament scholar, but I was looking in the notes of my NIV, and for Isa 3:18 it says, "Probably moon-shaped; they implied veneration of the popular moon-god."

I wiki'd "crescent" and didn't have much luck. They don't have much talk about the symbol until around 339 BC which obviously was a long, long time after the time of Judges.

Interesting to ponder; probably, most definitely moon worshiping of some sorts though. But don't take my word. LOL! I'm only a novice.
5:41 PM
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