Charles Ellicott Commentary Isaiah 3:23

"the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the veils." — Isaiah 3:23 (ASV)

The glasses — that is, the polished metal mirrors (Job 37:18; 1 Corinthians 13:12; James 1:23), which the Eastern lady carried in her hand so she could adjust her attire. The Septuagint rendering, “Laconian [Spartan] garments,” that is, indecently transparent, is curious enough to deserve notice, as it throws light on the social life of Alexandria, if not of Israel.

The fine linen — that is, the chemise worn under the tunic next to the skin. The Hebrew sedîn, like the Greek σίνδων (Mark 14:51), seems to imply commerce with India; so our muslin (mosul) and calico (calicut) attest to their origin. In Sanskrit, sindhu is the term for fine linen.

The hoods — that is, the turbans which completed the attire, and over which was thrown the “veil,” or gauze mantle. Jewish women, however, did not veil their faces in the same way as those of Turkey and Arabia. The prophet seems to have carried his eye upward from the feet to the head, as he catalogued with indignant scorn the long list of superfluities. We may compare the warnings of 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3. It is noticeable that stockings and handkerchiefs do not seem to have been used by the women of Judah.