“You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Deuteronomy 22:12
What does Deuteronomy 22:12 mean?
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Deuteronomy 22:12
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This verse isn't just about adding a decorative fringe to your robe; it's a radical call for your entire life, even your clothing, to be a public declaration of your distinctiveness as God's people. The emphasis on the garment "wherewith thou coverest thyself" shows that even what's most intimate and worn close to your skin should be a constant, visible reminder of your covenant. This subtle detail underscores that our faith isn't meant to be hidden but woven into the very fabric of our daily existence.
“You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This instruction about fringes immediately follows laws about distinct clothing for men and women, aimed at maintaining clear societal boundaries and preventing confusion. It’s part of a larger section offering practical guidance to the Israelites on how to live as a holy people, distinct from the surrounding nations, even in seemingly small details of daily life. This specific command serves as a constant, visible reminder to obey all of God's commands.
Ever notice how uniforms or team jerseys instantly identify you? God's people were meant to be identifiable too.
This command to add fringes, or tassels, to the edges of their garments wasn't just about fashion. It was a visual cue, a public declaration.
These weren't just decorative threads; they pointed to something deeper about how God's people were to live.
The commandment for fringes goes beyond mere outward appearance; it touches on the heart of obedience and the wholeness God desires for His people.
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Understand the original words
gedilim · Hebrew Noun
Ritual fringes attached to the corners of garments to serve as a constant physical reminder to obey God's commandments and remain holy. They represent the wearer's identity as set apart for the Lord.
This passage is the foundational command for the tassels, explaining they serve as a reminder to obey all of God's commandments and not to stray after your own hearts or eyes. Deuteronomy 22:12 provides a specific instruction on how and where to implement this reminder in daily attire.
Matthew 9:20-22Here we see a woman healed simply by touching the fringe (or tassel) on Jesus' garment, highlighting the potent spiritual significance and symbolic power these tassels held, even drawing divine intervention.
Matthew 23:5This verse shows the Pharisees ostentatiously enlarging their tassels, demonstrating that the outward sign, while commanded by God to remind them of His ways, had become a tool for human pride and self-righteousness for some.
1 Corinthians 10:31The principle behind the tassels—making even one's clothing a distinct mark of identity and a reminder of God's ways—aligns perfectly with Paul's exhortation that all we do, whether eating or drinking, should be done for God's glory.
gillDeuteronomy 22:12: "Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself."
Thou shalt make thee fringes,.... Though a different word is here used from that in Numbers 15:38 , yet the same things are intended, and Onkelos translates both by one and the same word, and which is no other than a corruption of the Greek word used in Matthew 23:5 . Though there have been some, whom Aben Ezra takes notice of, who supposed that this is a law by itself, and…
ellicottDeuteronomy 22:12: "Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself."
(12) Thou shalt make thee fringes. —See Numbers 16:32-41 for the origin of this requirement. We may call this fringe (or κράςπεδον , Greek) on the four sides of the square shawl or mantle, a mourning for the one man who was executed for sabbath breaking in the wilderness, as well as a reminder to Israel to do all the commandments and be holy unto their God. Of this κράςπεδον…
This verse isn't just about adding a decorative fringe to your robe; it's a radical call for your entire life, even your clothing, to be a public declaration of your distinctiveness as God's people. The emphasis on the garment "wherewith thou coverest thyself" shows that even what's most intimate and worn close to your skin should be a constant, visible reminder of your covenant. This subtle detail underscores that our faith isn't meant to be hidden but woven into the very fabric of our daily existence.
This instruction about fringes immediately follows laws about distinct clothing for men and women, aimed at maintaining clear societal boundaries and preventing confusion. It’s part of a larger section offering practical guidance to the Israelites on how to live as a holy people, distinct from the surrounding nations, even in seemingly small details of daily life. This specific command serves as a constant, visible reminder to obey all of God's commands.
This instruction about fringes immediately follows laws about distinct clothing for men and women, aimed at maintaining clear societal boundaries and preventing confusion. It’s part of a larger section offering practical guidance to the Israelites on how to live as a holy people, distinct from the surrounding nations, even in seemingly small details of daily life. This specific command serves as a constant, visible reminder to obey all of God's commands.
"“You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself." — This verse isn't just about adding a decorative fringe to your robe; it's a radical call for your entire life, even your clothing, to be a public declaration of your distinctiveness as God's people.…
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Last reviewed October 2026