Isaiah 37:29. Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips.
Allusion is here made to the custom of inserting a ring in the nose of a refractory animal for the purpose of subduing and leading him. The metaphor is a favorite one with the Arabian poets. The language used here, however, is not altogether metaphorical in its reference to human beings. In the sculptures taken from Khorsabad there are representations of prisoners brought before the king, each prisoner having an iron ring thrust through his lower lip. To these rings cords are attached, which the king holds in his left hand, while in his right he holds a spear, which he thrust into the eyes of the poor prisoners. See note on 2 Kings 25:7. See also 2 Kings 19:28; Ezekiel 29:4; 38:4.