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Bible Dictionaries
Clothe
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or Lâbash (לָבֵשׁ, Strong's #3847), “to put on (a garment), clothe, wear, be clothed.” A common Semitic term, this word is found in ancient Akkadian and Ugaritic, in Aramaic, and throughout the history of the Hebrew language. The word occurs about 110 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible. Lâbash is found very early in the Old Testament, in Gen. 3:21: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin, and clothed them.” As always, God provided something much better for man than man could do for himself—in this instance, fig-leaf garments (Gen. 3:7). Lâbash is regularly used for the “putting on” of ordinary clothing (Gen. 38:19; Exod. 29:30; 1 Sam. 28:8). The word also describes the “putting on” of armor (Jer. 46:4). Many times it is used in a figurative sense, as in Job 7:5: “My flesh is clothed [covered] with worms.…” Jerusalem is spoken of as “putting on” the Jews as they return after the Exile (Isa. 49:18). Often the figurative garment is an abstract quality: “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, … he put on garments of vengeance for clothing …” (Isa. 59:17). God is spoken of as being “clothed with honor and majesty” (Ps. 104:1). Job says, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me …” (Job 29:14).
These abstract qualities are sometimes negative: “The prince shall be clothed [RSV, “wrapped”] with desolation” (Ezek. 7:27). “They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame” (Job 8:22). “Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame” (Ps. 109:29). A very important figurative use of lâbash is found in Judg. 6:34, where the stative form of the verb may be translated, “The spirit of the Lord clothed itself [was clothed] with Gideon.” The idea seems to be that the Spirit of the Lord incarnated Himself in Gideon and thus empowered him from within. The English versions render it variously: “came upon” (KJV, NASB, JB); “took possession of” (NEB, RSV); “took control (TEV); wrapped round” (Knox).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Clothe'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/c/clothe.html. 1940.
