8. The lookingglasses. Not mentioned previously, these were of highly polished bronze, circular or oval in form. Such mirrors were used by the women of Egypt, as in most Oriental lands, from very early times. Inasmuch as there seems to have been no command by Moses that this should be done, the women must have offered them in a spirit of commendable, consecrated self-denial. These mirrors were no doubt highly valued, and their dedication to God therefore an excellent example of sacrificial devotion (see Matt. 26:6-13).
These pious women esteemed the higher adornment of the spirit more than they did that the outward appearance (1 Peter 3:1-5). Their gift testified that they loved God more than they loved themselves.