Veil

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(carry). The veil (Gen. 24:6565For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. (Genesis 24:65); 38:14; Ruth 3:1515Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city. (Ruth 3:15); Song of Sol. 5:77The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. (Song of Solomon 5:7); Isa. 3:2323The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. (Isaiah 3:23)), was a shawl or mantle. The veil proper was worn by Hebrew women only on special occasions, as in marriage (Gen. 24:6565For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. (Genesis 24:65)); for ornament (Song of Sol. 4:1,31Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. (Song of Solomon 4:1)
3Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. (Song of Solomon 4:3)); for concealment as in harlotry (Gen. 38:1414And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. (Genesis 38:14)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

See VAIL.

“39. The Veil” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

1. The custom of veiling the face of women, now so common in the East, was not general in the days of the patriarchs, nor for a long time after. The women usually appeared in public with faces exposed. Much of the modern Oriental scrupulousness on this subject is due to Mohammedan influence, the Koran forbidding women to appear unveiled except in the presence only of their nearest relatives. No representations of veils are found on either the Assyrian or the Egyptian monuments; yet the Egyptians, as well as the Hebrews, did use the veil on special occasions. Wilkinson says, that the ancient Egyptian veil was not so thick as the boorko of modern Egypt; but was thin enough to be seen through, like that of the Wahabees. The veiling of the bride before coming into the presence of the bridegroom is a very ancient custom, indicating modesty, and subjection to the husband.
It is claimed by some, however, that the tsaiph—both here and in Genesis 38:1414And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. (Genesis 38:14), rendered “veil”—was not properly a veil, but rather a large wrapper which was worn out of doors; a light summer dress, of handsome appearance and of ample dimensions, so that it might be thrown over the head at pleasure. Thus, when she saw Isaac, Rebekah slipped the upper part of her loose flowing robe over her head, thereby concealing her face from her expectant lover.

“246. The Veil” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Mitpachath, veil, is called mantle in Isaiah 3:2222The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, (Isaiah 3:22), and some lexicographers assert that this is its meaning; that it does not signify what is commonly understood by a veil, but simply a large outer mantle or cloak, in one corner of which Ruth received the barley. Others, however, and among them Dr. Kitto, insist that a veil is meant; one made of strong cotton cloth and used for outdoor wear.
The engraving represents a large veil, or mantle, which is worn by Egyptian women at the present day. It is called milayeh.

Related Books and Articles:

246. The Veil
Narrator: Chris Genthree
39. The Veil
Narrator: Chris Genthree