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MIRROR
Smooth surface for reflecting images. The word does not occur in the KJB, but the idea is there, translated from the Hebrew or Greek as “glass,” “glasses” or “looking glass.” Modern translations use the word “mirror.”
In the biblical era, mirrors were made of copper, bronze, silver, gold, or electrum. They were highly polished so as to reflect the face as clearly as possible. Glass was in existence but was usually opaque (except Roman glass) and was not used for mirrors until after the biblical period.
The Bible first mentions mirrors in the time of Moses in relationship to the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai just after the exodus from Egypt (Ex 38:8). When Alexander the Great spread Greek culture, the use of mirrors became even more widespread in the biblical world. Until that time, they were the possession of either court ladies or prostitutes.
Archaeological excavations have unearthed bronze mirrors in Palestine along with various items of women’s jewelry and clothes. Most of these date from the postexilic era up through Roman times. The mirrors are usually circular in shape with handles of wood or ivory, if they have handles at all.