What Does The Bible Say About Women's Adornment?

What Does The Bible Say About Women’s Adornment? “Adorn” (from Greek “kosmeo,” source for English “cosmetic”) — primarily to arrange, to put in order. The definition of Adorned according to the Oxford Language is, “to make beautiful or attractive.” Similarly, the definition of Adorned according to dictionary.com is, “to decorate or add beauty to, as by ornaments: garlands of flowers adorning their hair. to make more pleasing, attractive, impressive, etc.; enhance.” Likewise, the definition of Adornment according to the Oxford Language is, “a thing which adorns or decorates; an ornament. the action of adorning something.” Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary defines Adornment as, “something decorative, or the act of decorating something or someone.” Notice here that the meaning of Adornment is the action of adorning: the state of being adorned.

Adorned is a verb. A verb is an action word. Therefore, a person can do the action of adorning something by making it beautiful. Adorn is pronounced /əˈdôrn/ or /Ah-door-n/. Some common synonyms of Adorned are: decorate, embellish, furnish, improve, and highlight. To strip and disfigure are antonyms of Adorned. Therefore, Adornment is that which is put on to decorate, embellish, beautify, add luster to, and make a person, or that which he/she represents, pleasing or attractive. It may be for a good or a deceptive purpose. The Hebrew word for “adornment” is hadha·rahʹ, evidently from the root ha·dharʹ, meaning “honor.” Amazingly, the Scriptures do not condemn physical adornment if it is properly done, and they highly recommend spiritual adornment which is of greater importance. The Lord God Almighty Himself is described as clothed in light and surrounded by astonishing beauty (Psalm 104:1, 2; Ezekiel 1:1, 4-28; Revelation 4:2, 3).
Similarly, He has richly ornamented His creation with color, variety, and majestic magnificence (Luke 12:27, 28; Psalm 139:14; 1 Corinthians 15:41).

What Does The Bible Say About Women’s Adornment?

What The Scriptures Say About Adornment

There is much that the Bible says about adornment. During Biblical times, the bridegroom and the bride adorned themselves for the marriage feast. In preparation, the bride decked herself with the finest clothing as well as the best of the ornamental things that she possessed in order to present herself before the bridegroom (Psalm 45:13, 14; Isaiah 61:10). In Scripture, the Lord God speaks to Jerusalem, figuratively describing her as a girl whom He decked with fine, costly clothing and jewelry but she used her beauty and adornment unfaithfully as a prostitute (Ezekiel 16:10-19). The Lord God’s prophet, Hosea, openly condemned Israel for adorning herself for the wrong purpose of attracting passionate lovers and engaging in false/ungodly worship (Hosea 2:13).

The temple in Jerusalem and Solomon’s governmental buildings were beautifully adorned. The reconstructed temple under Herod was a magnificent edifice adorned with fine stones and dedicated things. However, Jesus Christ showed that these material adornments would be of no avail when God’s judgment came upon Jerusalem for her unfaithfulness (Luke 21:5, 6). Jesus Christ and His Apostles counseled constantly against putting trust in physical things and putting on a false show by means of material ornament. The apostle Paul counseled Christian women in 1 Timothy 2:9 saying, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and discreetly in proper clothing, not with [elaborately] braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothes.”
Likewise, the apostle Paul points out that the Christian can, by good words and actions of incorruptibleness, and right conduct in all his/her ways of life, adorn the teachings of God, making them attractive to others (Titus 2:10). As such, the Christian congregation, the bride of Christ, eventually appears in her full beauty to her husband Jesus Christ.

What Does Adorned Mean In The Bible?

Adorned in the Bible means to make your heart beautiful. Spiritual adornment is the Christian act of making one’s heart beautiful with love, hope, faith, joy, compassion, kindness, and other holy characteristic traits. Behold, adornment in the Bible is a standard of holiness for children of God. Biblically, we are all called to make ourselves beautiful with heavenly treasures.
Jesus’ disciple, Peter, mentions that Sarah, Abraham’s wife, adorned herself with the true riches of heaven – faith, love, patience, and self-confidence in 1 Peter 3:3-6: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”

What Is Spiritual Adornment?

It’s important for everyone to know and understand the meaning and definition of spiritual adornment. Spiritual adornment is the act of becoming more beautiful and attractive by allowing God to live within you. Spiritual adornment starts with saying yes to Jesus Christ. That’s, accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior as you embrace His call to sincerely repent and become obedient to God’s instructions. Once we become a bride of Christ, He purifies us internally and makes us spotless for the day of His return. It’s important to understand that without supernatural intervention, it’s impossible to stay pure in this dark and evil world. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: …. to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

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The world is full of pain. Heartbreak, betrayal, disappointment, and other undesirable life situations will always try to corrupt or pollute our hearts with pain and evil. On our own, we cannot be pure or live righteous lives. We ultimately need the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Striving for transformation and perfection without God is pointless. When we try on our own to adorn ourselves or make ourselves more spiritual, we fail. But, when we allow the Lord God Almighty to teach, discipline and transform us He adorns us with eternal treasures – love, faithfulness, peace, grace, freedom, kindness, discernment, forgiveness, humility, compassion, self-control, gentleness, joy, patience, generosity, and more.

What Is Outward Or External Adornment?

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, pointed out that the Pharisees were a perfect example of what outward or external adornment means. Behold, they were good at following rituals and praying out loud in public places. But, their hearts were evil and filled with sin. They only did holy things to look holy thereby desiring human approval instead of God’s approval. Matthew 15:8 says, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Likewise, Ezekiel 16 talks about how the Lord God adorned the Israelites with everything they needed, yet they still didn’t give Him their hearts. With this in mind, it’s clear that the Lord God can give us everything that we need but when our hearts are corrupt, we will eventually use it for our own selfishness.

Ezekiel 16:13-16 says, “So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be queen. Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the splendor I bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD. But because of your fame, you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for the asking. You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred!“

What Does The Bible Say About Women’s Adornment?

Deuteronomy 22:5 – “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.“

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.“

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1 Peter 3:3-4 – “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

1 Timothy 2:9-10 – “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Women’s Adornment

Matthew 6:25-33 – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. …“

Ezekiel 16:10-19 – “I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God. …“

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Women’s Adornment

John 11:38-44 – Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” …

1 Peter 3:1-6 – “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …“

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Women’s Adornment

Isaiah 60:7 – “All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house.“

Jeremiah 4:30 – “And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.“

Isaiah 61:10 – “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.“

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Proverbs 31:25 – “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.“

Titus 2:10 – “Not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.“

1 Timothy 1:8 – “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,“