Coats of skin

"Coat of skin" redirects here. For a general overview of human use of such items, see History of hide materials.
The Fall of Adam and Eve as depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling

In the biblical story of Adam and Eve, coats of skin (Hebrew: כתנות עור, romanized: kāṯənōṯ ‘ōr, sg. coat of skin) were the aprons provided to Adam and Eve by God when they fell from a state of innocent obedience under Him to a state of guilty disobedience.[1][2]

Genesis 3:21

As per the biblical interpretation of Genesis 3:21, God produced coats of skin for the first man and woman Adam and Eve and clothed them when they were found naked in the garden after eating the forbidden fruit.[3]

Material

The material of coats is not clear; instead, it is dubious. The Bible translates "coats" of skin and "garments" of skin as our mortal skin and animal' skin.[4]

Symbolic

If clothes were of animal skin, the question arises, who killed the animal and what was that? These ''garments'' of skin are resolved as a symbol of salvation.[5]

Wisdom

The first man and woman didn't even know how to dress properly. Their fig-leaf aprons served no purpose. In their "shame" the first couple always found it necessary to hide themselves from God (Gen.3.8).

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

— Genesis 3:8[6]

God's creation of the "coats of skins" can thus be seen as a sign of his superior wisdom, his recognition of his people' true needs in light of their impending expulsion from the Garden.

And the LORD God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them

— Genesis 3:21[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Easton, Matthew George. The Ultimate Bible Dictionary, Volume 1: A-F. Jazzybee Verlag. p. 183. ISBN 978-3-8496-9423-4.
  2. ^ Easton, Matthew George (2012). The Ultimate Bible Dictionary (Annotated ed.). Jazzybee Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8496-2186-5.
  3. ^ "Genesis 3 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre". www.mechon-mamre.org. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  4. ^ "The Lord made garments of skin -- whose skin? • Eve Out of the Garden". Eve Out of the Garden. 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  5. ^ Andreasen, Milian Lauritz (2006). The Sanctuary Service. Review and Herald Pub Assoc. pp. 11, 12. ISBN 978-0-8280-1989-7.
  6. ^ endofthematter (2019-10-22). "Hiding from God (Genesis 3:8)". Endofthematter.com. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  7. ^ "Genesis 3". ESV Bible. Retrieved 2021-07-23.