Did you know that throughout the Bible, God considers our clothing to be symbolic of our conduct?  Let’s glance at just a few illustrations of this vital spiritual principle.

On the one end of the spectrum, we find garments representing sinfulness, such as these of the high priest, Joshua:

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.  And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."  (Zechariah 3:3-4)

On the other end, we find garments signifying righteousness:

“But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy.  He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.”  (Revelation 3:4-5)

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."   And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  (Revelation 19:7-8)

Biblical Boundaries

Given then, that our garments serve as an important spiritual symbol of our Christian conduct, have you ever wondered about the Biblical prohibitions against wearing mixed fabrics?

Here are the Scriptural commands, with just a little additional context included:

You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest all the produce of the seed which you have sown, and the increase of the vineyard become defiled.  You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.  You shall not wear a material mixed of wool and linen together.  (Deuteronomy 22:9-11)

You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.  (Leviticus 19:19)

NOTE: A few translations render Leviticus 19:19 above as though it prohibits only linen and wool mixtures; however, that narrow rendering is not supported in the Hebrew.  Consequently, most modern translations render the verse more broadly, as in the NASB translation shown above.

The Hebrew word for “mixed material” is shaatnez, which actually means “mixed stuff.” According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon (BDB), shaatnez is believed to have originated from Coptic words meaning “woven” and “false.”

Thus, the Bible does not appear to condemn different portions of a garment being of different pure fabrics.  For instance, a Christian might wear 100% wool slacks lined with 100% polyester lining.

In contrast, we understand from the meaning of the Hebrew shaatnez that God’s command forbids clothing of any diverse materials woven together into one mixed fabric.  Consequently, Christians should not wear garments made of any fabric blends combining two or more distinct materials. 

For example, we would reject any garment made of a cotton/polyester blend.  The Christian would wear a fabric of any of the following only if it is woven of 100% pure:

·        Wool

·        Cashmere

·        Angora

·        Cotton

·        Linen/Flax

·        Ramie

·        Silk

·        Rayon

·        Acetate

·        Lyocell

·        Tencel

·        Latex/Rubber

However, it would seem that any fabric blend which contains a mixture of ONLY petroleum-based synthetic materials would be acceptable.  To the best of our knowledge, the following are petroleum-based synthetics which could be appropriately blended with each other:

Polyester                Nylon                   Acrylic             Spandex

Thus, a fabric (such as for a swimsuit) made from nylon, polyester and spandex would be acceptable for wear.

Then again, as we have already seen, fabrics blended from diverse materials such as cotton and nylon, or wool and acrylic, etc., are definitely not acceptable for Christian wear.


Important for Christians Today?

Do these clothing commands continue as imperatives for us as modern Christians?

Jesus Christ answers:

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”  (Luke 16:10)

But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'" (Matthew 4:4)

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:17-20)