COVERING FOR THE HEAD. Modern archeological discovery has provided information about ancient head coverings from reliefs or wall paintings. Evidently early Palestinian men were bareheaded. Later a variety of head-coverings came into use. The simplest was the headband (1 Kings 20:38, 41, אֲפֵר, H710). Women wore either the פְּאֵר, H6996, (Isa 3:20) or the שָׁבִיס, H8667, (3:18) both of which were ornamental. The word פְּאֵר, H6996, denotes various kinds of headdress, that worn by priests, made of linen (Exod 39:28; Ezek 44:18); by ordinary men and cast aside for mourning (Isa 61:3; Ezek 24:17, 23); by a bridegroom (Isa 61:10). High priests had a special “turban” מִגְבָּעָה, H4457, (Exod 28:4; 29:9; 39:28; Lev 8:13). In time of mourning the head was covered by the hand or with dust (2 Sam 13:19; Lam 2:10).

Bibliography J. D. Douglas (ed.), The New Bible Dictionary (1962), 324, 325.