Isaiah 3:18

"In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, and the cauls, and the crescents; the pendants, and the bracelets, and the mufflers; the headtires, and the ankle chains, and the sashes, and the perfume-boxes, and the amulets; the rings, and the nose-jewels; the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls, and the satchels; the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the veils."

"These twenty-one items of finery make a little kingdom of their own, enough to occupy the whole mind, and utterly vulnerable."[15] What a catalogue of feminine vanity is represented by a list like this! It carries a reminder of the court of Louis XIV. "Although these particular trivialities may seem remote, all generations of both sexes have their own solemn absurdities which can be all-absorbing."[16]

The meaning of some of the items treasured by these sophisticated females of Jerusalem is not always certain. The ankle-chains were worn to limit the gracious ladies to short mincing steps. The crescents were ornaments identified with the Midianites and were probably connected with some kind of idolatry. The nose-jewels were of the type worn through the cartilage separating the nostrils as seen in certain African tribes. Veils have always constituted a necessary part of female attire in the Mid-east. The festival garments were the grand costumes worn on designated occasions. Hand-mirrors were made of highly polished metal, usually of brass; and were adorned with an attractive handle. Lowth tells us that the item given in our version (Isaiah 3:23) as "fine linen" is actually "a transparent garment, designed to `betray through its clear texture every tender limb, heightening the charms it only seemed to shade.'"[17] If we knew the full meaning and utility of all these items so treasured by those women called by Peake, "Those West End Ladies," it is likely we should find other aids and encouragements to immorality prevalent in that era.