Signet rings were worn on the hand (see Gen 41.42), but they were more than ornamentation. They served as an official seal or stamp for a government administrator. Consequently, they do not just symbolize beauty here but also power, wealth, and authority. If this cannot be expressed conveniently in the receptor language, a word for a ring worn by women will do. The Hebrew word rendered nose rings refers to an ornament that seems to be associated with women (Gen 24.47; Ezek 16.12; Hos 2.13). Many translators will not have precise words for signet rings and nose rings, but they will have to use descriptive phrases. One possibility is “rings/ornaments for the hand and rings/ornaments for the nose” (similarly Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .