{
  "id": "dict_002111",
  "term": "GARMENT",
  "slug": "garment",
  "letter": "G",
  "entry_type": "symbol",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A garment is literal clothing in Scripture, but it also often functions as a symbol of identity, status, purity, mourning, shame, righteousness, or readiness before God.",
  "simple_one_line": "Clothing that can also symbolize a person’s condition or standing.",
  "tooltip_text": "Used literally for clothing and figuratively for identity, honor, shame, purity, or readiness.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Clothing",
    "Priestly garments",
    "Robe",
    "Righteousness",
    "Sackcloth and ashes",
    "Wedding garment",
    "White robes"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Nakedness",
    "Clean and unclean",
    "Adornment",
    "Salvation",
    "Holiness"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "In Scripture, garments are ordinary clothing, but they are also a recurring symbol for a person’s condition, role, or standing before God. Context determines whether the passage is literal, ceremonial, moral, or spiritual.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Garments are literal clothing that often carry symbolic meaning in the Bible.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Garments may signal status, office, grief, purity, shame, or readiness",
    "some passages use clothing language for righteousness or salvation",
    "interpretation should follow the immediate context rather than a fixed allegory."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "The Bible frequently speaks of garments in ordinary life, but it also uses clothing symbolically. Garments may represent dignity, priestly service, mourning, shame, purity, righteousness, or readiness before God.",
  "description_academic_full": "A garment in the Bible is first a piece of clothing, yet Scripture repeatedly uses garments as a visible sign of a person’s condition, role, or standing. Clothing can mark rank, occupation, celebration, grief, humility, impurity, honor, or shame. In prophetic and apocalyptic passages, garments may symbolize righteousness, cleansing, acceptance, or preparedness for the Lord. Because these uses are varied, the term should be interpreted carefully in context rather than treated as a single fixed allegory. The strongest biblical pattern is that outward clothing can picture an inward reality or an assigned status before God.",
  "background_biblical_context": "From Genesis onward, clothing appears both as practical covering and as a sign of God’s provision, human condition, and covenantal life. The Bible uses garments in scenes of blessing, mourning, priestly service, judgment, and restoration.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient Near East, clothing communicated social status, occupation, and occasion. Robes, belts, and special vestments could mark office or honor, while tearing garments or wearing sackcloth expressed grief and humility.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In Israel’s life, garments were part of daily life and also of covenant symbolism. Priestly garments signaled holy service, and actions such as tearing clothes, changing clothes, or wearing sackcloth expressed mourning, repentance, or transition in status.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Genesis 3:21",
    "Exodus 28:2-4",
    "Isaiah 61:10",
    "Zechariah 3:3-5",
    "Matthew 22:11-12",
    "Romans 13:14",
    "Ephesians 6:11",
    "Revelation 19:8"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Genesis 37:3, 23-24",
    "2 Kings 2:13-14",
    "Psalm 45:8-9",
    "Job 29:14",
    "Matthew 6:28-30",
    "Luke 15:22",
    "Revelation 3:4-5"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Common Hebrew terms include בֶּגֶד (beged, garment) and לְבוּשׁ (lebuš, clothing); common Greek terms include ἱμάτιον (himation, outer garment) and χιτών (chitōn, tunic).",
  "theological_significance": "Garments often picture the believer’s standing, holiness, and readiness before God. The imagery can point to cleansing, righteousness granted by God, and the call to live in a way that matches one’s new identity in Christ.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Clothing is an outward sign that can communicate inward or social reality. Scripture uses that everyday relationship to show how visible conduct, status, and condition can reflect what is true of a person before God.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not over-allegorize every garment detail. Some references are literal clothing only. Symbolic meaning must be determined by the passage, the literary genre, and the wider biblical context.",
  "major_views_note": "In passages such as the wedding-garment imagery, interpreters differ on whether the emphasis is on imputed righteousness, visible righteousness, or both. A conservative evangelical reading treats the image as the rightful, God-given readiness and purity that belong to those who truly belong to the King, without making the symbol a separate doctrine of merit.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be used to build doctrine from isolated clothing details or speculative symbolism. Garment imagery may illuminate holiness, righteousness, and judgment, but it does not override the plain teaching of the text.",
  "practical_significance": "Believers are called to ‘put on Christ,’ live in holiness, and be ready for the Lord. Garment imagery reminds readers that outward conduct should match inward allegiance.",
  "meta_description": "Biblical garments are literal clothing and a recurring symbol of identity, purity, shame, righteousness, and readiness before God.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/garment/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/garment.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}