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.

(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

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.

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