the curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them. The Hebrew word (metheg) so rendered in Psalms 32:9 is elsewhere translated "bridle" ( 2 Kings 19:28 ; Proverbs 26:3 ; Isaiah 37:29 ). Bits were generally made of bronze or iron, but sometimes also of gold or silver. In James 3:3 the Authorized Version translates the Greek word by "bits," but the Revised Version by "bridles."