Squeamish Translating – Summary

Do You See What I See?

So… have the translators of the NASB and the NIV been squeamish when it comes to the word “naked”… or the concept of nakedness?

As I’ve said along the way, no one passage can “prove” that such a bias really was affecting the translating work. However, The cumulative impact of multiple passages betrays its presence.

Some may well discount every example that I’ve given, finding reasonable justification for the translations as rendered in each case. To be sure, none of the examples that I’ve given are completely and utterly unreasonable.

For the one who believes that nakedness really is morally offensive to God, there would be little or no motivation to find fault with the passages as they are translated by the NASB and NIV.

By the same token, however, those of us who believe that nakedness is not morally offensive to God will be motivated to look more critically at the texts to see if there really might be a bias at play.

But regardless of which side of the issue we each start on, our deepest concern should be that our English translation accurately renders the meaning found in the original text. I hope that all of my readers (on either side) will place that priority above their current or preferred perspective.

A Review of the Evidence

In the table that follows, I give a summary of each of the five passages I’ve presented as evidence of squeamishness about nudity in the new translations. For each passage, I’ve given the translations one of four “grades” reflecting their fidelity to the original Greek text. Here’s what I mean by the four words I used:

• Transparent – There is no evidence of any squeamishness towards nudity; the Greek text is translated very directly with no attempt to hide the possibility that literal nakedness was possible.
• Unclear – The translation is reasonable and may not indicate any squeamishness, but the English words chosen are not generally associated with nudity and the plain reading would not produce a mental picture that includes nudity for most people today.
• Obscured – The English translation is such that would definitely preclude the formation of a mental picture that included nudity.  Squeamishness is strongly suspected.
• Misleading – Words and/or ideas not found at all in the original Greek text have been added to the English translation, resulting in a meaning that is actually in conflict with what the author wrote. In these cases, the squeamishness about human nudity led to an intentional alteration of the inspired text.

	Passage	Synopsis	KJV	NASB	NIV
1	John 21:7b	Peter fishing naked	Transparent	Unclear	Obscured
2	John 13:4-5	Jesus washing feet	Unclear	Unclear	Misleading
3	1 Cor. 4:11	Writing Scripture naked	Transparent	Obscured	Misleading
4	Luke 17:7-8	Servants coming in from the field	Transparent	Misleading	Obscured
5	1 Cor. 12:23-24a	Referring to the Genitals	Transparent	Misleading	Misleading

Some may disagree with the severity of the squeamishness that I have assessed on the NASB and the NIV in these passages. But there is no denying the trend that is in evidence here.

Additional Evidence

In addition to the data above, a simple search for the word “naked” or “nakedness” in the English translations also gives evidence that the “N-word” is taboo to some extent in the NASB and NIV.

Instances of “naked” or “nakedness in the English New Testament:

• KJV – 18 times.
• NASB – 13 times.
• NIV – 9 times.

The trend is obvious. A closer examination of the specific passages will reveal that where the nakedness was “bad,” the NASB and NIV did not hesitate to translate the Greek word gymnos by its English equivalent, “naked.” But if the incidence of nakedness was not associated with a negative context, different English words were used, several of which I have highlighted in these articles.

Many who read the NT in new translations claim that the Bible always speaks of nakedness in a negative way. However, the NIV used the N-words only half as many times as the KJV. If my analysis is correct, that means that for all the times that gymnos or a related word appears in the Greek but not in the NIV, the NIV translators did not consider the context negative enough to use the English word, “naked”!

Negative Nakedness

To demonstrate how the NIV does not shrink away from the “N-word” when the context is negative, let me quote from Rev. 3:17-18…

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” (NIV)

A passage like this gives apparent credence to the belief that nakedness is offensive to God… that nakedness is always shameful and sinful. But how can we know that is really true if non-shameful and righteous instances of nakedness which appear in the original language Scripture text have been consistently excised from the English translations of the Bible?

The very same Greek word, gymnos, which appears here in Rev. 3:17-18 is used to describe the fishing disciple Peter in John 21:7b. It is the root word for the term that Paul uses to describe himself while writing to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 4:11. Was Peter or Paul “shameful”?

From the perspective of the inspired text, shamefulness cannot be the inescapable result of nakedness. Sadly, however, a survey of the English Bible in NASB or NIV would not correct that mistaken notion, for only the negative citations of nakedness are found there.

The error is then compounded because too many people have failed to show the same diligence of examination and study on the issue of nakedness that they typically do studying any other topic in the Bible (see The Unchallenged Belief).

This is Not Just an Oversight

The evidence that I have presented here is not simply a matter of translators making little mistakes in the translation or their inability to determine the most accurate words to use. The trend is too consistent to be an accident or oversight.

Nakedness is taboo in our culture today. It is thought to be wrong in all cases except for marriage or medical necessity. That taboo is not found in the Scriptures as they were originally inspired. Despite that fact, the taboo is apparent in the NASB and (even more so) the NIV.

The only possible source for the taboo found in the modern English translations is the bias of the translators themselves!

I Wasn’t Looking For It…

I didn’t just invent the bias I’ve called “squeamish translating” out of the blue. I didn’t start studying God’s word intent on snooping around to see if I could find a reason to discount the Bible’s real teaching on nakedness. All I did was study the Bible diligently… reviewing every passage where nakedness is mentioned or implied. I didn’t study from just one English translation… or even three; I also looked at the original language words in the Greek (and Hebrew) texts.

I was amazed to see that not just once or twice, but every time the Bible mentioned nudity in a neutral or positive way, the nudity was difficult or impossible to discern in English… unless I was reading the KJV.

In other words, I wasn’t looking for it; I simply discerned it in the course of my investigation. I read the KJV and I read the other translations. They were different. I had to ask, “Why?” The answer I found was that the KJV was more faithful to the Greek than the NASB or NIV. Hence, the evidence of squeamishness.

Final Words

The NASB is still my favorite translation. I read it daily and it’s my preferred version for memorization. I recognize and respect the place of the NIV in Christendom today, but I have always depended more on other translations… more so now than before. While I’ve always been a little irritated by the archaic “King James” English, my appreciation and respect for the KJV have grown as a result of this study.

Like each of us, the translators are human. They—and we—live in a culture quite foreign to the one from which sprang the inspired biblical texts. It should come as no surprise that some measure of cultural bias would creep undetected into their translation work… nor is it any condemnation upon them that it should. They meant no deception and I hold no animosity toward them for having that bias (the fact is that we all have biases… most of which we are utterly oblivious to). I genuinely Praise the Lord for their work. Where would we be without it?

Whether you see what I see or not, I hope that I have caused you to rethink the Scriptural basis for your understanding of the biblical position on nudity. I hope that you will be willing to reexamine your own perspective… to ensure that you are fighting against any bias that will discolor your perception of God’s Word. To that best of my ability, that is my own aim as well.

— Matthew Neal

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Squeamish Translating

Prologue
Introduction
Part 1 – Naked Disciples
Part 2 – An Unclothed Savior
Part 3 – Writing Scripture Naked
Part 4 – Unclothed Servants
Part 5 – Speaking of Genitals
Summary

Squeamish Translating (PDF of the entire series)

Have You No Shame??

When was the last time you heard that question?

For me, I think it was when I was a very small kid… and I had wandered out into the living room without a stitch… and there were guests in the house. Actually, I don’t remember any specific incident, but that scenario sounds about right.

I might have heard a version of the question more recently (“Have they no shame??”) spoken in judgment upon some people were were “immodestly” dressed.

Either way, I think it was from my mom or some respected older woman in my extended family.

Are We Supposed to Feel Shame?

The underlying assumption to that question is this… we’re supposed to feel shame about our bodies. But is that true? Does the Bible teach us that?

More recently, I hear people attempt to walk this line: they’ll say that we’re not supposed to be ashamed of our bodies, but at the same time, it is shameful to be seen naked by anyone other than our own spouse… or doctor… or some other guardian/care-giver (see When is Nudity OK for a Christian?).

Let me restate that… we are told that our bodies are not shameful, unless they are seen unclothed by others. Does that really make any sense?

No, it doesn’t make sense. But that’s the dichotomy of belief vs. practice that we have been taught within traditional Christian contexts (churches & homes). Your body is not really shameful, but you should act as if it is. Don’t question that, just do it.

Is Nudity Really Shameful?

But is it really shameful to be seen naked? Am I—are we all—supposed to feel shame if our bodies are exposed to the sight of others? If so, we should see that taught in the Bible.

And, in all fairness, many claim that the idea IS in the Bible. They note the numerous times that shame and nakedness are found in the same passages, and they conclude that the shame is the result of the nakedness. They quote these verses that seem to support their pre-determined conclusion and they feel no need to dig any deeper into the text to discern whether it is being correctly interpreted or not. This is called “proof-texting” and it insulates us from having to do any real, honest study, or to allow our preconceptions to be challenged.

Within the posts on this blog, I have already addressed most of the passages that are generally put forward as proof that nakedness is shameful. I’m not going to do it again in this post. However, let me summarize them this way:

Wherever there is shame and nudity in the same passage, there is always shameful behavior described in the text as well. Nakedness is never described as shameful all by itself. Furthermore, nakedness does appear in the Scriptures without shame being associated with it… and in every such case, there is never any shameful behavior occurring.

In other words, the source of shame is always sin… it is never nudity by itself! A truly honest evaluation of the Scriptures will show this to be true.

Have You No shame?

It turns out that this actually is a significant question to ask… not to ensure that you do have shame, but to affirm that—in Christ—you do NOT!

When I read the Bible, I see that Jesus dealt with everything in my life for which I could or should feel shame. My sin has been taken away (1 Peter 2:24). My guilt has been atoned for (1 John 2:2). I now stand before God in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Himself (2 Cor. 5:21). What’s more, I read that my body bears the Divine image(Genesis 1:26-27); it is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and I have been called to glorify God specifically with my body (1 Corinthians 6:20).

So, do I have shame? No, I do not! To answer any other way would be an insult to my Savior.

How about you? What is your answer?

Typically, the question is used to proudly condemn others. Instead, it should be used to humbly proclaim the fullness of our Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ! Praise God! We have no shame!!!

Think long and hard before you profess to have shame as if it were a virtue. Shame is not godly by any stretch of the imagination.

Shame of any kind has no place in the life of those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ and walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).

— Matthew Neal

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See also:

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 – Shame and Fear??

Redemption, a Work Accomplished by Christ’s Body

Who Hates Nudity… God or Satan?

Naturist by Biblical Conviction??? — Part 1

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Introduction

“God clothed Adam and Eve! That’s good enough for me!!”

I’ve had Bible teachers say essentially that (See this email debate).

(actual quote: “Whatever the reason God clothed Adam and Eve, He clothed them, and nowhere instructed them to remove the clothing. Without any biblical instruction whatever on the value of nudity, I am going to follow God’s example with Adam and Eve and clothe myself.”)

The assumption is, of course, that God clothed Adam and Eve because (obviously!) He wanted our bodies to be hidden from view. We can no longer look upon nakedness in purity—it is assumed—so now we have to keep our bodies covered unless we are with our own spouse.

But… is that really why God gave Adam and Eve clothing? Was God’s purpose for clothing at that moment in time to provide a future means by which sexual purity would upheld?

There is no such declaration in the text that that is the case, nor is there any command associated with the clothing of Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:21 (Read the entire context). Of course, that fact by itself does not prove the idea wrong, but it certainly should give us pause, and call us to reevaluate the assumptions.

This introductory article is actually the first in a series that will survey the biblical purpose for clothing. I want to see if there is any merit to the assumed purpose stated above, and if not, what other valid biblical purpose would offer a credible explanation of why God clothed Adam and Eve.

My initial assumption is this: God’s purpose for clothing Adam and Eve must be a Biblically valid purpose. For example, If the purpose above is a valid purpose, then we should see the principle of covering nakedness to promote sexual purity as a Scripturally demonstrable purpose for clothing. If not, we should look for a different purpose altogether.

Starting at the Beginning.

To set a baseline for this survey regarding clothing, we need to start at the very beginning.

In Genesis 1-2, we find that the nudity of the first couple was evidently God’s original intent. There were no such thing as “clothes” nor any need for them at all. It was such a good and right thing that God made a special point of mentioning their nudity as part of the Creation account (Gen. 2:25). We also have to conclude that their nudity was literally part of the Creation which God declared to be “very good” in Gen. 1:31.

This leads us to our first and foundational observation that we can make about clothing. It is this:

Baseline Observation
There was nothing about life in the Garden of Eden that required clothing.

That’s an important observation because wherever we find a purpose for clothing in the Scriptures, we should be able to point out how the context was different than the Garden context.

This observation works for both sides of this particular discussion, since one of the main points of those who believe in the purpose stated above is that we could only handle nakedness before sin. They believe that the introduction of sin into the human equation is the wild card that changed the context so significantly that clothing is now required to serve as an inhibiter to sin.

But it also means that there may be other “before/after” differences that could adequately explain the purpose of God’s clothing Adam and Eve. It would be a mistake to lock onto that one notion and reject all other possibilities without examination.

Before and After the Fall.

So if clothing was not needed before the Fall, but clothing was useful or needed after the Fall (we can assume that God had a good reason for clothing Adam and Eve), what changes took place for which clothing is an appropriate and effective solution? This is a question that we will keep in mind for the duration of this survey.

As I stated above, it is further assumed that whatever purpose God had for the clothing after the Fall, we should be able to find confirming evidence for the same purpose elsewhere in the Scriptures. Once identified, we will examine each biblically discernable purpose for clothing to see if it might offer a reasonable explanation of God’s purpose for clothing Adam and Eve.

— Matthew Neal

This article Series:

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Introduction
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 – Shame and Fear??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 2 – Clothing as Currency
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 3 – Sign of Position
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 4 – Communicate About the Person
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 5 – Gender Distinction?
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 6 – Warmth and Protection
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 7 – Controlling Lust??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Conclusion
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Epilogue

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 - Shame and Fear??

In the Introduction of this series, I looked at Gen. 1-2 and observed that while living in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had no need at all for clothing. However, after the Fall and banishment from Eden, God clothed Adam and Eve with no fanfare and no explanation or mandate.

Despite the fact that God did not tell us why He clothed our first parents, many are confident that God’s purpose for clothing them was to prevent or minimize lust since—it is assumed—humans can no longer experience nudity in purity after the Fall.

The very first effort at clothing is found in the account of the Fall. Adam and Eve crafted their own clothing.

Leafy Loin Coverings…

It is only a few verses after “naked and unashamed” was declared (Gen. 2:25) that we read the story of how “unashamed” was lost and problem of nakedness was “fixed” (Gen. 3:1-14).

It’s pretty clear that Adam and Eve’s purpose for clothing at that moment was to address two problems: Shame, and Fear. In point of fact, “shame” is never actually mentioned in the text except when the pair were described as UN-ashamed. However, I count that sufficient to conclude that shame was evidently part of their experience.

It is also worth noting that Adam and Eve were not satisfied with the leafy loin coverings that hid their genitals… for they also ran and literally hid themselves entirely from God. When God called to Adam, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9), Adam’s answer was that “I was afraid because I was naked…”

We might at this point be tempted to conclude that the first biblical purpose for clothing is to address our sense of shame and fear… as that surely was the reason that Adam gave for clothing himself and hiding. However, that would be stopping our analysis too soon, for we also must take into account that God had something to say about Adam’s actions… “Who told you that you were naked?”

Is that an affirmation… or is it a rebuke?

Personally, I hear God saying to Adam, “What makes you think that the way I made you is the problem at all?” This understanding is further supported by the fact that God didn’t wait for an answer, but immediately got to the real problem by asking “Have you eaten from the tree…?” (Gen. 3:11)

No, God’s response was not affirmation. Consequently, we can reach this conclusion:

Observation #1
Addressing shame and fear is not a Scripturally valid purpose for clothing.

If God did not approve of clothing to address shame and fear in Adam and Eve (after the fall), He does not approve of those reasons for clothing for us today. The correct response to Shame and Fear is to run  to the God of Mercy and Love… just as we are. That’s true today; it was true after the first sin.

If anyone disagrees with my conclusion that fear and/or shame are not valid purposes for clothing, I’ve addressed further implications of the idea in my Epilogue to this series.

Divinely Designed Duds…

The next incidence of clothing is in Gen. 3:21 when God Himself makes coats of skin for Adam and Eve. Oddly enough, the text does not tell us what prompted God to do so. As already noted, many assume that it is because of the need for clothing to promote sexual purity. But since that is not found in the text, we should leave that idea on the table until we find some sort of affirmation in the rest of the Scriptures that this actually is a Scripturally sound purpose for clothing.

However, before we leave this story, it should be noted that whatever God’s purpose was in clothing Adam and Eve, it cannot have been because He was contradicting His rebuke in Gen. 3:11. In other words, God’s purpose for clothing them was not to address their fear or shame.

— Matthew Neal

This article Series:

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Introduction
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 – Shame and Fear??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 2 – Clothing as Currency
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 3 – Sign of Position
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 4 – Communicate About the Person
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 5 – Gender Distinction?
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 6 – Warmth and Protection
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 7 – Controlling Lust??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Conclusion
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Epilogue

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 2 - Clothing as Currency

In the Introduction of this series, I looked at Gen. 1-2 and observed that while living in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had no need at all for clothing. However, after the Fall and banishment from Eden, God clothed Adam and Eve with no fanfare, explanation or mandate.

God did not tell us why He clothed our first parents, so we’re surveying the Bible to see if we can find a purpose for clothing that fits the account in Gen. 1-3.

Clothing as Currency?

Here’s an unexpected purpose for Clothing that seems to have biblical sanction… it is permitted to leave your only garment with someone as collateral for a financial loan (Exo. 22:25-26)!

I’m not sure this helps the discussion about the purpose of clothing much, but at very least it makes it pretty clear that, relative to today, clothing was much more valuable in Bible times than it is today. It was evidently common enough that someone would have one and only one multi-purpose garment… worn during the day and used as a blanket at night. And when they needed a loan, they were permitted to strip it off and give it to the “loan officer” during the day… until they needed it to stay warm at night.

Another passage in the Scriptures that uses clothing as currency is the story of Samson and his 30 Philistine companions at his wedding (Judges 14:12-18). They agreed to a bet—in the form of a riddle—and the loser had to provide clothing to the other party in payment of clothing for the lost bet. Oddly enough, the Philistines were so hard pressed to pay the change of clothes (one change of clothes each) that they threatened murder and arson if Samson’s Philistine wife didn’t tell them the answer.

Well, she must have known that they meant it, since she found out the answer and told them. So, Samson lost the bet. To pay the 30 changes of clothing, Samson had to go out and kill 30 other Philistines, strip them their clothing, and bring them to the 30 men with whom he had the bet.

Not only were the men willing to accept clothing as payment for a gambling debt, they were willing to take second-hand clothing, that was undoubtedly well-worn, sweaty, and dirty (Would Samson have washed them first?).

This story demonstrates pretty clearly how valuable clothing was in Bible times and illustrates how different a role clothing played in ancient cultures as compared to today’s norms.

Observation #2
In the Bible, clothing was so valuable that it could be (and was) used as currency!

This observation also helps us understand why God’s people were told repeatedly that should clothe the naked. The command is repeated so frequently that we have to conclude that it was a reality of life that one would encounter naked people that needed clothing. Why were some people in bible times naked? Most likely because they were very poor; if they owned a garment but had no food, they could literally use “the shirt of their backs” to pay for a meal.

Does it Fit “Before and After” the Fall?

Well, there certainly wasn’t any need for currency in the Garden, but neither was there immediate need for currency after the Fall! So, this Biblically discernable purpose for clothing does not help us understand God’s purpose for clothing Adam and Eve.

— Matthew Neal

This article Series:

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Introduction
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 – Shame and Fear??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 2 – Clothing as Currency
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 3 – Sign of Position
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 4 – Communicate About the Person
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 5 – Gender Distinction?
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 6 – Warmth and Protection
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 7 – Controlling Lust??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Conclusion
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Epilogue

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 3 - Sign of Position

In the Introduction of this series, I looked at Gen. 1-2 and observed that while living in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had no need at all for clothing. However, after the Fall and banishment from Eden, God clothed Adam and Eve with no fanfare and no explanation or mandate.

God did not tell us why He clothed our first parents, so we’re surveying the Bible to see if we can find a purpose for clothing that fits the account in Gen. 1-3.

Clothing to Denote Position

Genesis 41:39-42 – “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.’ Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck.” (NASB)

When Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the entire land of Egypt, He gave him a fine linen garment and some impressive jewelry… all to signify his important position in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 28:2-3 – “Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. … 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests.” (NIV)

When God established the nation of Israel, it was established as a Theocracy. This means that God was their “King” and the “Government Officials” were the priests. God never established any particular requirements of the Israelites in reference to clothing, but for the Priests—or more specifically, the sons of Aaron—God prescribed in great detail the “uniform” (down to their underwear!) they were to wear during their service in the temple before the altar. Exodus 28 gives all the details, but the purpose of the clothing was stated very clearly in Exodus 28:2-5…

The garments were specifically for the position of the Aaronic Priestly line. They were designed specifically to give the priests “dignity and honor” in their role as priests. They were to be the mark of their peculiar ordination as priests (verse 41) and were required to be worn whenever the priests entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar… on pain of death (verse 43)!

Another evidence of clothing denoting an exalted position can be found in Isaiah 6. The Prophet was in the temple when he saw a vision of the Lord on His throne. The Lord is described in this vision as having a robe with a train. The train, Isaiah tells us, is “filling the temple.” (Isa 6:1)

Isaiah 6:1 “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.” (NASB)

This raises some interesting questions… like why was the Lord “wearing” anything at all? Does God need clothing? And what is the purpose of the “train” of a robe?

Like a wedding dress that may have a train, the purpose of a robe with a train is to bring honor to its wearer. The train itself can serve no other function. Consequently, the purpose of God’s “robe” and its train in Isaiah 6 is to denote or portray the “lofty and exalted” position of its wearer.

Observation #3
Clothing is used in the Bible to signify the exalted position of its wearer.

So, clothing can serve as an outward indication of the wearer’s positional stature. Not only did God prescribe it for the Aaronic priests, He allowed Isaiah to see Himself in a robe with a train to emphasize His own greatness as King.

Does it Fit “Before and After” the Fall?

So, if the exaltation of a person’s position is a biblically valid purpose for clothing, could this be why God provided clothing for Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:21?

Clearly, it was not. Adam and Eve were not being exalted by the animal skin coats that God made for them. These were not clothes that would indicate to everyone who saw them of the great honor and positional status that they held. The truth is that they had suffered a pretty significant demotion rather than any sort of elevation of position.

— Matthew Neal

This article Series:

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Introduction
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 – Shame and Fear??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 2 – Clothing as Currency
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 3 – Sign of Position
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 4 – Communicate About the Person
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 5 – Gender Distinction?
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 6 – Warmth and Protection
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 7 – Controlling Lust??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Conclusion
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Epilogue

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 4 - Communicate About the Person

In the Introduction to this series, I looked at Gen. 1-2 and observed that while living in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had no need at all for clothing. However, after the Fall and banishment from Eden, God clothed Adam and Eve with no fanfare, no explanation, and no mandate.

God did not tell us why He clothed our first parents, so we’re surveying the Bible to see if we can find a purpose for clothing that fits the account in Gen. 1-3.

In Review…

Up to this point, we have observed that:

• While Adam and Eve wore “clothes” to address fear and shame, God did not approve of that purpose for clothing, so it cannot be why He clothed them.
• Clothing can be used as collateral or currency, but this cannot be why they were clothed.
• Clothing was sometimes used to denote a person’s exalted position, but again, this does not explain why God clothed Adam and Eve.

So, we continue our survey of the Bible to see if any other valid reason for clothing matches the context of the Fall and would give us a clue as to why God gave Adam and Eve their coats of skin.

Clothing to Communicate Something about a Person

A survey of the Scriptures also shows that there are times that clothing was used to communicate something about its wearer. This is related to the purpose described in Part 3 (a sign of position), but it allows for other—perhaps more mundane—messages. Let me highlight some and briefly comment on each one.

• Clothing to show that the wearer is in mourning.

Genesis 37:34  - “So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.” (NASB)

The wearing of sackcloth is recorded some 44 times in the Old and New Testaments. 42 of those 44 times, the wearing of sackcloth is associated with mourning as it is in the passage above. Interestingly, the rending of clothing often precedes the donning of sackcloth and is part of the expression of mourning.

• Clothing to show that the wearer is rich.

Luke 16:19 - “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. (NASB) James 2:2-3 – “For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,…” (NASB)

We can see from these passages that God is not impressed with fine clothing—nor should we give special treatment to those with such clothes—but we can also see here that clothing and jewelry have the power to tell us that their wearer is wealthy.

• Clothing to show that the wearer is a harlot.

Proverbs 7:10 - ”And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart” (NASB)

In this case, the woman is dressed in such a way as to alert others that she was sexually available. Of course, the Scriptures would not condone such activity nor the message, but we do see that the clothing communicates something very specific to the observer about the person wearing the clothes.

• Clothing to show that the wearer is a favored.

Genesis 37:3 - ”Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.” (NASB)

I don’t think the Bible condones our having “favorites” among our children, but Joseph’s father Israel did show such favoritism. The way he expressed it was by giving Joseph a unique tunic that was very different from all his brothers’ clothing. Every time his brothers saw it, they would be reminded of the favored status that Joseph held in their father’s heart. This special and unique garment communicated the favored status of the one wearing it.

• Clothing to show that the wearer is holy.

Revelation 19:7 – “It was given to her [the bride of Christ] to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (NASB) Revelation 19:14 – “And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.” (NASB)

The clothing worn by the bride of Christ and the armies which return with Christ at His second coming may not be literal clothing, since they are actually defined here as “righteous acts.” However, we can still see that the purpose of the white garments— as described in John’s vision—was to reflect the righteousness of the wearers.

A Point of Note…

It is important to note here that the precise message of that which is worn is not absolute, but rather, it is culturally determined. In the examples I have given, we are told the meaning of the garment without being told much (if anything) about the garment itself. 

• Today, no one girds their loins with sackcloth to show that they are in mourning. This was only a convention in ancient times.
• The exact style or nature of the ornate clothing of the rich is not recorded and is different for every culture.
• There is nothing recorded about exactly what the harlot wore. Every culture has harlots, and within every culture, it is defined how they dress to communicate it, but no two cultures are the same.
• In John’s vision, God inspired him to actually record the precise meaning of the white linen garments, lest the reader define a meaning according to his or her own cultural understanding.

Observation #4
Clothing is used in the Bible to communicate something about the person wearing the garment.

Biblically speaking, we can see that clothing is sometimes used to communicate something about the wearer of the clothes. Notably, the specific content of the message is dependent on the cultural norms in which it is used. Furthermore, the morality of what is worn will depend upon what is intended to be communicated. Even God utilized this method of communication about a person, therefore, it must be considered Scripturally valid.

Does it Fit “Before and After” the Fall?

What about the clothing of Adam and Eve? Was there something that God was intending to communicate about them that He used the leather garments to say?

At first consideration, this is plausible. Could it be that their new clothes were to signify that they were now sinners? Was their clothing intended to be a constant reminder of their sin?

While this idea does seem like it could have some merit, there is no corroboration for it anywhere in the Bible. We do not find that message assigned to the garments in the immediate context, nor is there any other time where clothing is ever used for that particular message. Furthermore, that meaning is never mentioned regarding Adam and Eve anywhere in the Bible.

Consequently, I conclude that this purpose for the clothing of Adam and Eve—while plausible—is not satisfactory. We simply have to read too much meaning into the text to have any confidence that we are understanding the correct “meaning” that their clothes were intended to communicate.

For those who may disagree with my conclusion on this possible purpose for God clothing Adam and Eve, I’ve addressed further implications of the idea in my Epilogue to this series.

— Matthew Neal

This article Series:

The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Introduction
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 1 – Shame and Fear??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 2 – Clothing as Currency
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 3 – Sign of Position
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 4 – Communicate About the Person
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 5 – Gender Distinction?
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 6 – Warmth and Protection
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Part 7 – Controlling Lust??
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Conclusion
The Biblical Purpose for Clothing – Epilogue