Clothing and Accessories l

   708. The manner of dress in the Eastern countries is largely the same as it was centuries ago. There is a prevalent view in the Bible lands that it is morally wrong to change anything that is ancient.

   709. The inner garment. The tunic was a shirt worn next to the skin. It was made of leather, haircloth, wool, linen, or in modern times, usually cotton. The simplest style was without sleeves and reached to the knees or ankles. The well-to-do wore it with sleeves and it extended to the ankles. Both men and women wore this garment, although there was no doubt a difference in style and pattern in what was worn. The garment of Jesus for which the Roman soldiers cast lots was a tunic without seams.

   710. The garment Jacob gave to Joseph (Gen. 37:3), translated in the Septuagint and Vulgate Bible as the "coat of many colors," is the same expression used for the garment worn by Tamar, the daughter of King David. It is translated in Greek and Latin as "a sleeved tunic" (2 Sam. 13:18). For this reason, many Bible scholars believe it was a long undergarment with sleeves. The working classes usually wore a short tunic, whereas the aristocracy wore a long tunic with sleeves.

   711. The girdle. If the tunic was ungirded (or untied) it would interfere with a person's ability to walk freely, and so a girdle was always worn when leaving home (2 Kings 4:29; Acts 12:8). There were and still are two types. A common variety is made of leather, usually six inches wide, with clasps. This was the kind worn by Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), and by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4). The other, a more valuable type, is made of linen or sometimes silk or embroidered material. The girdle served as a pouch to carry money and other things, as well as to fasten a man's sword to his body.

   712. The outer garment or "mantle." The outer garment that a Palestinian villager wears is a large cloak that serves as an overcoat. It is made of wool or goat's hair and serves as a shelter from the wind and rain, as well as a blanket at night. It was this outer garment or mantle with which Elijah smote the waters of the Jordan and crossed over. When Elijah was taken up to Heaven this mantle was thrown down to Elisha (2 Kings 2:8-13).

   713. Because the outer garment was a man's covering by night, the law did not allow anybody to take this as pledge or security on a loan because it would deprive him of his means of keeping warm while sleeping. When a garment was taken, it had to be returned by sunset (Exod. 22:26-27).

   714. Hair. The Jews of the Bible gave much attention to the care of their hair. The young people loved to wear it long and curled (Song of Sol. 5:11), and they were proud to have thick hair (2 Sam. 14:25-26). Middle-aged men and priests would occasionally cut their hair, but not often.