5. Massekdh (n3S"5, fr'"^ ~\r'^i '" screen) is a gen- eral term for a covering of any kind (" vail," Isa. xxv, 7; "covering," xxviii, 20).
6. The words D''2"'> HSIOS, kesuth eyndyim, literally rendered "a covering of the eyes" (Gen. xx, 16), are rendered by some interpreters " a veil for the eyes," i. e. a complete veil, to conceal Sarah's beautj-, and that she might in future be known to all as a married worn-
VEIL
738
VEIL
Orieiilal la-door Veils.
an. But the phrase "a covering of, or for, the eyes" is used in the sense of a present offered as an expiation for some fault, in order that one may s/iut his ei/ts upon it, comiive at it, or take no more notice of it: "Behold, this (the thiiusauil pieces of silver) is to thee a penalty for all which lias happened with thee and before all men" — a compensation for the Avrong Abimelech did to Sarah by forcibly depriving her of her liberty, and a public declaration of his honor and her innocence. There can be no doubt that the veil for concealing the face is of very remote antitjuity ; but we have no evidence that it was a general article of female attire in the time of Sarah, either in Kgypt or Palestine. From the monu- ments of Egypt, it seems not to have been worn by the females of that nation, as the women in the reign of the Pharaohs exposed their faces and were permitted as much liberty as the ladies of modern Europe. This custom was not changed till the conquest of Egypt by the Persians. See Covering of the Eyes.
7. The (ireek word t^oucria, literally translated "pow- er" in 1 Cor. xi, 10, seems to denote metaphorically a kin<l of head-gear, a veil, or the ancient courrechef (ker- chief); hence the emblem of subjection to the power of a husband. But the apostle, in pointing out certain irregularities in the Christian assemblies, observes that "every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head," i. e. her hus- band. Hence, as the woman is to be in subjection to her husband, the apostle enjoins, "For this cause ought the woman to bring honor upon her liead (i. e. upon her husband) for the sake of the angels," i. e. the ministers, that tliey may not be put to the trouble of adverting to any such irregularities in the assemblies of the faithful (ver. 3-16). See Woman.
(II.) Special. — Another class of coverings which alone offer any resemblance to the veils used among us are those which the Eastern women wear indoors, and which are usually of muslin or other light texture, at- tached to the head-dress and falling down over the back. They are of different kinds and names, some descend- ing only to the waist, while others reach nearly to the ground. The Heb. terms that follow appear to desig- nate some of these, but they are never rendered "vail" or "veil" in the A. Y.
1. Mispechdk (nnsp'^, from nSS, fo pour out) is used of the veils whicb the false prophets placed upon their heads ( Ezek. xiii, 18, 21; A. V. "kerchiefs"). The word is imderstood by Gesenius (Thesaur. p. 905) of cushions or mattresses, but the etymologj' of it is equally, if not more, favorable to the sense oi a. floiring veil, and this accords better with the notice that they were to be placed " upon the head of every stature," implying that the length of the veil was proportioned to the height of the wearer (Fiirst, Lex. s. v. ; Hitzig in Ezek, loc. cit.). See Keuchief.
2. Rdal (x>\\\r.-realCith, nibr"l, from "bv"^, fo flutter') is used of the light veils worn by females (Isa. iii, 19; A. Y. " mufflers"), which were so called from their rus- tling motion. The same term is applied in the Mishna (^Sab. vi, G) to the veils worn by Arabian women, mean- ing a slender piece of dress fastened above the eyes in such a manner that one ])art was thrown over the head and fell down upon the back, while the other shaded the face and dropped on the breast ; which perhaps ap- proached as near as any other article of antiquity to the modern veil. See Mufflek.
3. Tsammah (n53^, from Wi2l. to cover") is under- stood by the A. Y. of " locks" of hair (Cant, iv, 1, 3 ; vi, 7; Isa. xlvii, 2); but the contents of the passages in which it is used favor the sense of veil, the wearers of the article being in each case highly born and hand- somely dressed. As these passages refer to the effect of the veil as connected with the head-dress, it may per- haps have been one of those veils which have been al- ready described as a part of in-door dress, although it must be admitted that the. expressions are almost equal- ly applicable to some kind of street-veil. See Head-
DKliSS.
II. Use. — In ancient times the veil was adopted only in exceptional cases, either as an article of ornamental dress (Cant, iv, 1,3; vi, 7), or by betrothed maidens in the presence of their future husbands, especially at the time of the wedding (Gen. xxiv, 65; xxix, 25) [see Marriage], or, lastly, by women of loose character for purposes of concealment (xxxviii. 14). But, generally speaking, women both married and unmarrietl appeared in public with their faces exposed among the Jews (xii, 14; xxiv, 16; xxix, 10; 1 Sam. i, 12). At present fe- males are rarely seen without a veil in Oriental coun- tries, so much so that in Egypt it is deemed more req- uisite to conceal the face, including the top and back of the head, than other parts of the person (Lane, Mud. Ei/tjpt. i, 72). Women are even delicate about exposing their heads to a physician for medical treatment (Kussell, A leppo, i, 246). In remote districts and among the low- er classes the practice is not so rigidly enforced (Lane, i, 72). Much of the scrupulousness in respect to the use of the veil dates from the |jromulgation of the Koran, which forbade women ap|)earing unveiled except in the pres- ence of their nearest relatives (Koran, xxxiii, 55, 59). ^Mohammedanism has introduced a very marked change in this respect wherever its influence has extended. The change, as INIr. Lane has remarked {he. cit.), is pe- culiarly observable in Egypt. The hurko, or face-veil, a long strip of muslin, concealing the whole of the face except the eyes, and reaching nearly to the feet, which is now a regular part of an Egyptian lady's walking at- tire, is never repre- sented in the ancient paintings and sculpt- ures of Egypt, and may certainly be in- ferred not to have been worn. And if not in Egypt, stili k'-s likely in Canaan. It is probable that in both countries ahke the chief head-c()\er- ingof the women, be- sides the loose mantle or kerchief occa'.ion- ally thrown over it and tlrawn to some extent upon the lace, was the long plaitid hair, which appears from the Egyptian remains to have uftiu _^