(Heb. יָחֵ, yacheph', "unshod," Jeremiah 2:25). To go barefoot was an indication of great distress (Isaiah 20:2-4); for in ancient times the shoes of great and wealthy persons were made of very rich materials, and ornamented with jewels, gold, and silver. (See SHOE). When any great calamity befell them, either public or private, they not only stripped themselves of these ornaments, but of their very shoes, and walked barefoot (2 Samuel 15:20). (See GRIEF). Persons were also accustomed to put off their shoes on spots accounted holy (Exodus 3:5). (See ATTIRE).