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The "sash" or girdle (Heb. Ezohr, pronounced ayzor) was perhaps the most beautiful figurative mode of expression used for clothing among the prophets of the Bible. The girdle was wound several times around the waist to bind the clothing together.
Key Takeaways: Clothing in the biblical era was primarily made from wool, linen, animal skins, and silk. Hebrew men wore undergarments like the ‘ezor or ḥagor and loose-fitting under-tunics called kethōneth. Outer garments like the simlāh and me’īl were worn by men of rank or the priestly order.
- The people of ancient Israel wore clothing made from wool, linen, animal skins, and silk.
- The clothing styles of the biblical era are mostly known through depictions in Assyrian and Egyptian art.
- Hebrew men wore undergarments like the ‘ezor or ḥagor, the kethōneth (a loose-fitting under-tunic), outer garments like the simlāh (a heavy shawl),...
- Jewish women’s clothing was similar to men’s but longer, with variations in material, color, and ornamentation.
- Important religious accessories included tassels or fringes (ṣiṣit) attached to the corners of garments and phylacteries (tefillin) worn on the for...
- People in biblical times wore leather sandals as their footwear.
- Clothing in the Bible carries symbolic and spiritual significance, representing social status, spiritual standing, and identity.
- Clothing in biblical narratives reflects characters’ roles, personalities, and cultural norms. It also conveys allegorical meanings and messages.
- Jesus often employs clothing imagery to convey spiritual truths and moral lessons, emphasizing the fleeting nature of material possessions and the...
The materials used for clothing during biblical times included wool, linen, animal skins, and silk, showcasing the rudimentary ancient clothing industry. These materials were skillfully transformed into various garments such as tunics, undergarments, outer garments, and robes of different lengths.
- The materials used for clothing in ancient biblical times included wool, linen, animal skins, and silk.
- The main garments worn by men and women in ancient Hebrew culture were tunics, undergarments, and outer garments like the simlāh.
- Yes, men and women in ancient biblical times wore similar garments, with slight variations in decorative elements and lengths.
- Mesopotamian fashion evolved from simple loincloths to more complex styles over time. Textiles made from wool became the most common material, and...
- Yes, clothing and fashion in ancient biblical times played a significant role in defining social status and identity. The rules and expectations su...
- What Did They Wear? Bible Study Resource
- Materials and Textiles
- First, Make Your Linen
- Weaving Cloth
- Different Types of Garments
- The Cloak/Simlah
- What Did They Wear on Their Heads?
- Did They Wear Shoes?
- Decoration: Tassels and Fringes
- Clothes in The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages
Over many centuries the Jews, and the early Christians as well, borrowed fashion from all the peoples around them. There were many influences, because they had been 1. exiles in Egypt and Babylonia 2. ruled by Greeks and Romans 3. lived in a land which was a natural crossroads between major cultures of the ancient world 4. exposed to the style of d...
What did they have to work with? In biblical times the basic textiles were wool and linen. Both could be spun rough or fine.
You could not, of course, go to a shop and buy cloth. You had to make your own. Linen was favored, but making linen out of flax is quite a process. First the outer bark of the stems is removed (after it has rotted) and the fibres separated. Egyptian tablets show the flax being pressed into tubs of water, and Josiah 2:6 refers to the fibres spread o...
The threads were woven into cloth on a loom made from a long beam supported by posts or in some other way. 1. The warp threads were hung from this beam, weighted down by stones or other loom weights to keep them steady. 2. The weaver threw his shuttle, carrying the long weft thread, backwards and forwards between the warp to make the cloth. The bib...
The earliest undergarment was probably the kiltlike loincloth worn next to the skin, called ezor(II Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4). Many Egyptian paintings show such a garment wrapped around the loins and tied with a belt or girdle (hagorah), and Matthew describes John the Baptist wearing clothing like this. For religious functions, a shirt or apron was t...
In Old Testament times, most people – men and women – wore a shawl or cloak made of wool or linen draped fairly closely around the body over the tunic. Jewish law (Deuteronomy. 22:5) makes it clear that women’s clothing differed from men’s. The saddin may have been similar to the outer cloak (simlah) that was worn, for instance, by King Jehu and hi...
The Bible tells how fine linen was wrapped around the head of the High Priest as a turban or mitre — the saniph or kidaris(Exodus 28:39). Ordinary people wore a kerchief over the head, held tight by a cord reminiscent of the Arab headdress commonly worn today, the ‘aggal. When bareheaded, men wore a fillet to keep their long hair in place (see righ...
In ancient times men generally went barefoot indoors but outside they protected their feet with a sandal usually made of a simple sole of untanned leather, tied on with straps or latchets (Genesis 14:23; Mark 1:7). A sandal was the cheapest thing one could imagine (Amos 2:6) — only the shoe-strap was worth less (Genesis 14:23). The Egyptian Beni Ha...
Jewish people were required by their law (Numbers 15:37-41; Deut. 22:12) to put tassels (tzitzit or fringes) on the corners of their garments with a blue cord intertwined in them. This tradition is still followed by observant Jews during services, in the tasselled tzitzit knotted on the four corners of thetallit, a big fringed, four-cornered prayer...
The Canaanite ivory carvings of Megiddo (12th century BC) show the men wearing long sleeved robes over a coloured tunic (ketonet), embroidered in geometric designs. Over their robes the simlahis wrapped closely around the body, leaving the right shoulder and arm free. On their heads, they have close-fitting caps. The women are also dressed in long ...
The first line of inquiry into ancient clothing culture, then, must come from the biblical sources themselves and from other associated writings that describe and define ancient wardrobe options.
Timeline based on traditionally accepted timeframes and general consensus of a variety of sources, including Wilmington's Guide to the Bible, A Survey of Israel's History (Wood), The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings (Thiele), ESV Study Bible, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, and Easton's ...
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God slew the first animals and made skin garments for Adam and Eve after they had disobeyed God in the primordial Garden of Eden. (The Fall of Man in Genesis 3) According to the Bible, man’s first garments were animal skins. Maybe vine-like plants were used to fasten the garments on and over the body in very early man. Aurignacian Needle
