In the Hebrew and Greek there is a wonderful wealth of terminology having to do with the general subject of dress among the ancient Orientals. This is reflected in the numerous synonyms for “dress” to be found in English Versions of the Bible, “apparel,” “attire,” “clothes,” “raiment,” “garments,” etc. But the words used in the originals are often greatly obscured through the inconsistent variations of the translators. Besides there are few indications even in the original Hebrew or Greek of the exact shape or specific materials of the various articles of dress named, and so their identification is made doubly difficult. In dealing with the subject, therefore, the most reliable sources of information, apart from the meaning of the terms used in characterization, are certain well-known facts about the costumes and dress-customs of the orthodox Jews, and others about the forms of dress worn today by the people of simple life and primitive habits in modern Palestine. Thanks to the ultraconservatism and unchanging usages of the nearer East, this is no mean help. In the endeavor to discover, distinguish and deal with the various oriental garments, then, we will consider:
There was originally a sharp distinction between classical and oriental costume, but this was palpably lessened under the cosmopolitanism of the Roman Empire. This of course had its effect both in the modification of the fashions of the day and upon the words used for articles of clothing in the New Testament.
(1) The terms most used for clothes in general were, in the Old Testament, ṣādhīn, simlāh, salmāh, and in the New Testament himátion (Matthew 21:7; 24:18; 26:65; Luke 8:27) and énduma (Matthew 22:11 f; compare Matthew 7:15), plural, though the oldest and most widely distributed article of human apparel was probably the “loin-cloth” (Hebrew ‘ēzōr), entirely different from “girdle” (Greek zō̇nē). Biblical references for clothes are nearly all to the costume of the males, owing doubtless to the fact that the garments ordinarily used indoors were worn alike by men and women.
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Author: International Std. Bible Encyclopedia
Keywords: Dress, Clothes, Clothing, Apparel, Pants, Cloak, Garment, Wardrobe, Coat, Under garment, Underwear, Raiment, Attire, Headdress, Head dress, Turban, Hat
Source: James Orr (editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 5 volume set.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.