Tearing Garments

Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, Acts 14:14

Tearing the clothes and cutting the hair in mourning is very common among Semitic people. When they receive sad news, as of the death of relatives, men tear their clothes and women cut their hair as a token of mourning and grief. This custom still prevails among the Arabs, Jews, Assyrians, and Kurds.

Likewise when a man is accused of treason, he tears his garments, in order to prove his innocence and as a protest. In such cases the tearing of garments indicates humiliation. When a person is humbled and severely punished, he is stripped of all or part of his clothes. When governors, noblemen and officials are demoted or dismissed on charges of treason and disloyalty, the royal robes, rings and other tokens of authority are taken from them. In some instances, the giver of the garment takes it from the body of the person who has been accused and tears it in pieces.

On the other hand, insane persons nearly always walk about naked. Mourners and accused men often become very violent and act insane. In most cases, the garment is ripped open in front from the neck down. Noblemen and kings tear only a small part of their garment. David and all the men who were with him tore their garments when they were informed of the death of Saul and Jonathan (Sam. 1:11). At times mourners are prevented by friends from tearing their garments. Some mourners therefore wait until their friends arrive before they try to tear their garments.

Paul and Barnabas tore their garments as a protest against those who proclaimed them gods. By tearing their garments, they emphatically declined the honor of being gods, proving that they were men. Gods have no garments to tear, nor do they act like crazy men. Paul and Barnabas wanted to show that they were human beings like everyone else. Had they not done this, they would have been charged with treason by both the state and religious authorities for posing as gods.

Paul knew the temper of the Eastern people. He knew that such acts would not be tolerated by the priests and people in general. The crowd was moved by his speech, but the enthusiasm would not last long. On the other hand, Paul and Barnabas were preaching about the God of heaven and earth; they could not have accepted any honor that was contrary to the gospel of Christ.

(Lamsa, George. New Testament Commentary, A.J. Holman Co., Philadelphia: 1945, pgs 103-104)

I Will Make Thee as a Signet

In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:23

The meaning is evident from the importance of the signet ring in the eyes of the Oriental, who is accustomed if he owns a ring to carry it constantly with him, and to care for it as one of his most prized and valuable possessions.

The signet being an emblem of authority, was used to stamp documents and other legal articles. Indeed, without being stamped by a signet, no document was considered authentic.

(Bowen, Barbara M., Strange Scriptures that Perplex the Western Mind, WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1944, pg 58)

Tired

And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. 2 Kings 9:30

Tire, as used in the KJV, has nothing to do with fatigue or with the rims of wheels. It is a shortened form of “attire.” As a noun, it means a headdress or an ornament; as a verb it means adorn.

“Bind the tire of thine head upon thee” (Ezekiel 24:17) means “Bind on your turban.” So also in Ezekiel 24:23. The Hebrew noun represented here by “tire” is translated “bonnet” in Isaiah 3:20 and Ezekiel 44:18, “beauty” in Isaiah 61:3, and “ornaments” in Isaiah 61:10. When Jezebel “painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window” (2 Kings 9:30), the Hebrew verb for “tired” has the general meaning “adorned.”

(The Bible Word Book, Bridges & Weigle pg 345)

The Hem of His Garment

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, Malachi 4:2

One of the best known miracles of healing that Jesus performed was the occasion when a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the hem of his garment, Matthew 9:20. The woman was, in fact, reaching for the tassels on Jesus' prayer shawl.

In Hebrew, these tassels, which are attached to the corners of the prayer shawl, are called tzitzit. [Note: Pronounced like the sound in pizza--Zeet zeet]

Why should she stoop to touch the fringe? Why not his arm, or his feet? As the Atorah [prayer shawl] was placed over the head, it formed his own tent. Wings of the garment were formed when the arms were held out. For this reason, the corners of the prayer shawl are often called "wings."

During the first century there were several traditions associated with the tzitzit concerning Messiah. One was that these knotted fringes possessed healing powers. Certainly the woman with the issue of blood knew of these traditions, which would explain why she sought to touch the hem (the wings) of Jesus' prayer garment. The same word used in Numbers 15:38 for corner is used in Malachi 4:2 for wings.

With this understanding in mind, an ancient Jew under the prayer shawl could be said to be dwelling in the secret place of the Most High and under His wings (Ps. 91:1-4). The lady with the issue knew that if Jesus were the promised Messiah, there would be healing in His wings (fringes).

That this was the opinion of many other people is revealed by the crowd who sought his healing powers, "that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole," Matthew 14:36.

When one realized the significance of this concept to the first-century Hebraic mind, it becomes clear why this woman was instantly healed. She was expressing her faith in Jesus as the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings and declaring her faith in God's prophetic Word.

(http://www.sak-kloth.com/products/israelimports/prayershawls-study.html)

Handkerchiefs of Healing

So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Acts 19:12

The Aramaic word rookiatha refers to pieces of old garments which are used for mending clothes. Men never wear aprons, nor can they afford to give such garments away. In countries where cloth is woven by hand and scarce, people mend their clothes. Even rich men and women refuse to give their garments away when they are worn out. They mend them with new or old pieces of cloth. The mending of clothes is so common that no one is embarrassed or disturbed, no matter how many patches of different colors and materials he may have on his trousers. Some clothes are so mended that at times it is difficult to tell what the original cloth was.

On the other hand, when a garment is so worn out that it cannot be mended, it is cut up and used for mending other garments. On one occasion, Jesus illustrated his teaching by referring to the use of new cloth to mend an old garment (Matt. 9:16; Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36).

When Peter walked by, the people brought the sick out of the houses and laid them on the ground so that his shadow might fall on them (Acts 5:15).

Paul, like the other apostles, had the gift of healing. On his journeys he performed a number of miracles. His fame as a healer had spread so widely that people who could not come to him were satisfied to have a small piece from on of his old garments. But it was their faith in Jesus Christ that healed them, and not the cloth.

Garments of certain noted bishops and religious men who practice healing are considered sacred. And pieces of garments and portions of the Scriptures written on parchment or paper are carried great distances for healing purposes. People have such strong faith in the healer that they believe that even a piece from his garments or a prayer written down by him will heal the sick and restore the insane. They understand that the piece of garment is nothing but a material object. What helps them is their faith in the healer and the thoughts concerning his power that are aroused by the piece of cloth. Indeed, this token helps to establish the contact that strengthens the faith of the sick in the healer and his healing power.

Some healers living in far-off and isolated places, bless water so that the sick person may wash the afflicted parts of his body with it. The sacred water is mixed with other water and used for bathing the sick. This also serves to strengthen their faith….

This practice of visiting the healer undoubtedly became established because of the difficulty of traveling. In the East, holy men are always prey to the attacks of bandits and members of rival religions, and thus cannot travel to see all the sick, in person. The sick then must travel to see the holy men. The strong faith manifested by the believers that enables them to persevere through the difficulties and hardships of travel no doubt contributes much toward their cure. Some healers just speak a word of comfort and assure the sick of quick results. Some afflicted men travel more than a thousand miles to reach a healer or a shrine. Since traveling is not customary, the journey is probably the first in their lives. The change as well as the faith required to make the journey, quickens the healing power which exists in every individual but which sometimes is dormant.

Paul was sought by many men and women who needed his help spiritually, mentally and physically, but he could not be present everywhere at once. At times, he could not travel at all because of lack of money and the danger to his life. This is why he allowed the people to have a piece of his tattered garments. He felt compelled to do something, if only in a small way, for those who besought him to relieve their suffering.

(Lamsa, George. New Testament Commentary, A.J. Holman Co., Philadelphia: 1945, pgs 136-138)

Habergeon

And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 1 Samuel 17:38

Habergeon means a short, sleeveless hauberk or coat of mail. The term is used in the KJV as translation of three Hebrew words, to only one of which it properly applies. That is shiryon, which occurs in 2 Chronicles 26:14 and Nehemiah 4:16, where its plural is translated “coats of mail” by RSV. It is the word for the coat of mail worn by Goliath and for that which Saul put on David and David would not wear (1 Samuel 17:5, 38).

A different word, shiryah, occurs in the description of Leviathan (Job 41) where the KJV renders verse 26: “The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, not the habergeon.” These are offensive weapons, and “habergeon” is out of place.

RSV translates: "Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail; nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin."

The other word is tahara, which occurs in the description of “the robe of the ephod” which Aaron wore (Exodus 28:32; 39:23). The meaning of this term is uncertain; the Hebrew lexicons state that it probably means a linen corselet. In any case, it is clear that the robe of the ephod was to be put on over the head and slipped down into place on the body, and that tahara refers to a garment that had to be put on in the same way.

The KJV renders Exodus 28:32: “And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.”

RSV reads: “It shall have in it an opening for the head, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, that it may not be torn.”

In the description of the locusts from the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:1-11) Tyndale and the other sixteenth-century translations said that “they had habbergions, as it were habbergions of yron” (vs. 9). The KJV moved in the right direction by changing “habbergions” to “breastplates.”

But the Greek word thorax, which is here used twice, separated the the Greek word for “like,” meant not only breastplate but the part of the body which the breastplate covers. RSV translates: “they had scales like iron breastplates.” The entire description should be read in both version. In verses 2, 3, 5, 7c, 8, and 9 the same simple Greek word hos occurs, and means “like.” The KJV uses “as” except in 9a, where it uses “as it were.”

(The Bible Word Book, Bridges & Weigle pg 160)

"With Their Loins Girded"

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. Exodus 12:11

Another very important part of the Eastern costume is the girdle, which is a long piece of cloth like a shawl, folded around the waist or loins. It is useful in keeping in order the long loose robes worn in those countries.

Christ frequently alludes to the uses of the girdle, and bids His people to be ready, waiting for their Lord; having their loins girded and not to sit in idleness with loose and disordered garments. These girdles are still worn by both men and women, some are worsted, some silk, and the Bedouin men often wear leather girdles.

(Bowen, Barbara M., Strange Scriptures that Perplex the Western Mind, WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1944, pg 50)