Headdress

The Hebrews do not appear to have regarded a covering for the head as an essential article of dress. Hats were unknown. The earliest notice we have of such a thing is in connection with the sacerdotal vestments. (Exodus 28:40) The tsaniph (something like a turban) is noticed as being worn by nobles, (Job 29:14) ladies, (Isaiah 3:23) and kings, (Isaiah 62:3) while the peer was an article of holiday dress, (Isaiah 61:3) Authorized Version “beauty;” (Ezekiel 24:17,23) and was worn at weddings. (Isaiah 61:10) The ordinary head-dress of the Bedouin consists of the keffieh, a square handkerchief, generally of red and yellow cotton or cotton and silk, folded so that three of the corners hang down over the back and shoulders, leaving the face exposed, and bound round the head by a cord. It is not improbable that a similar covering was used by the Hebrews on certain occasions. The Assyrian head-dress is described in (Ezekiel 23:15) under the terms “exceeding in dyed attire.” The word rendered “hats” in (Daniel 3:21) properly applies to a cloak.