◄ Deuteronomy 22:12 ►
You are to make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
Study Bible
Make tassels
The Hebrew word for "tassels" is "tzitzit," which refers to the fringes or threads that are to be attached to the corners of garments. This command is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and serves as a physical reminder of the commandments of God. The tzitzit are meant to remind the wearer of their covenant with God and to live a life of holiness and obedience. In a broader sense, this practice underscores the importance of visible symbols in maintaining spiritual awareness and commitment.

on the four corners
The phrase "four corners" indicates the completeness and universality of the command. In ancient times, garments were often rectangular, and the four corners would represent the entirety of the garment. This can be seen as a metaphor for the all-encompassing nature of God's law, which is meant to cover every aspect of life. The number four in biblical numerology often symbolizes universality or the earth, suggesting that God's commandments are meant for all people and all areas of life.

of the cloak
The "cloak" refers to the outer garment worn by individuals in ancient Israel. This garment was not only a piece of clothing but also a symbol of one's identity and status. By placing tassels on the cloak, the Israelites were to integrate their faith into their daily lives, making their commitment to God visible to themselves and others. This serves as a reminder that faith is not just a private matter but should be evident in one's public life and actions.

you wear
The phrase "you wear" personalizes the command, emphasizing individual responsibility in following God's laws. It suggests that each person is accountable for their own spiritual journey and must actively choose to live in accordance with God's commandments. This personal application of the law highlights the intimate relationship between the believer and God, where obedience is not just a communal expectation but a personal commitment.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's laws to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The recipients of the law, God's chosen people, who are being prepared to live in the Promised Land.

3. Tassels
Fringes or threads attached to the corners of garments, serving as a physical reminder of God's commandments.

4. Cloak
A common outer garment worn by the Israelites, symbolizing daily life and routine.

5. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, where the Israelites are headed, representing God's promise and faithfulness.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of Remembrance
The tassels serve as a tangible reminder of God's commandments, encouraging believers to keep His laws at the forefront of their minds.

Daily Obedience
Just as the Israelites were to wear tassels daily, Christians are called to integrate God's Word into their everyday lives.

Heart over Ritual
While physical reminders are helpful, the focus should be on heartfelt obedience rather than mere external compliance.

Visible Faith
The tassels were a public declaration of faith, reminding believers today to live out their faith visibly and authentically.

Cultural Context
Understanding the historical and cultural context of biblical commands can enrich our application of Scripture in contemporary settings.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we incorporate reminders of God's commandments into our daily lives, similar to the tassels on the Israelites' garments?

2. In what ways might we be tempted to focus on outward religious practices rather than genuine obedience to God?

3. How does the command to wear tassels relate to the broader biblical theme of remembering and obeying God's Word?

4. What are some modern equivalents to the tassels that can help us keep our faith visible and active in our communities?

5. How can we ensure that our religious practices are rooted in a sincere desire to follow God, rather than simply adhering to tradition?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Numbers 15:37-41
This passage provides further context on the purpose of the tassels, emphasizing their role as a reminder to follow God's commandments.

Matthew 23:5
Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their ostentatious display of tassels, highlighting the importance of genuine obedience over outward appearances.

1 Samuel 15:22
This verse underscores the principle that obedience to God is more important than ritualistic practices, which can be related to the purpose of the tassels as reminders of obedience.
Sermons
The Minutiae of ConductJ. Orr Deuteronomy 22:6-12
Linsey-WoolseysR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 22:8-12
Directions in Minor MattersD. Davies Deuteronomy 22:9-12
People
Hen, Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor
Topics
Body, Borders, Cloak, Clothing, Cords, Corners, Cover, Covered, Coverest, Covering, Edges, Fringes, Garment, Ornaments, Quarters, Robe, Skirts, Tassels, Threads, Thyself, Twisted, Vesture, Wear, Wherewith, Yourselves
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 22:12

     7462   tassel

Deuteronomy 22:11-12

     5145   clothing

Library
Spiritual Farming. --No. 2 Ploughing.
There have been during the last few years great improvements in the construction of the plough, but no one dreams of any substitute for it. Ploughing is as necessary as sowing; that is to say, the land must be stirred and prepared for the seed. In heavenly husbandry there are some well-meaning folk who would dispense with the plough, and preach faith without repentance, but only to find that the birds of the air get most of the seed! If there is to be an abiding work there must be conviction of …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

If any Woman, under Pretence of Asceticism, Shall Change Her Apparel And...
If any woman, under pretence of asceticism, shall change her apparel and, instead of a woman's accustomed clothing, shall put on that of a man, let her be anathema. Notes. Ancient Epitome of Canon XIII. Whatever women wear men's clothes, anathema to them. Hefele. The synodal letter in its sixth article also speaks of this. Exchange of dress, or the adoption by one sex of the dress of the other, was forbidden in the Pentateuch (Deut. xxii. 5), and was therefore most strictly interdicted by the whole …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Excursus on the Word Theotokos .
There have been some who have tried to reduce all the great theological controversies on the Trinity and on the Incarnation to mere logomachies, and have jeered at those who could waste their time and energies over such trivialities. For example, it has been said that the real difference between Arius and Athanasius was nothing more nor less than an iota, and that even Athanasius himself, in his more placid, and therefore presumably more rational moods, was willing to hold communion with those who …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

The Story of the Adulteress.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John VII. 53-VIII. 11. [This section is wanting in nearly all older manuscripts, but Jerome (a.d. 346-420) says that in his time it was contained in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts," and these must have been as good or better than the best manuscripts we now possess. But whether we regard it as part of John's narrative or not, scholars very generally accept it as a genuine piece of history.] ^d 53 And they went every man unto his own house [confused by the question of Nicodemus, …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

List of Abbreviations Used in Reference to Rabbinic Writings Quoted in this Work.
THE Mishnah is always quoted according to Tractate, Chapter (Pereq) and Paragraph (Mishnah), the Chapter being marked in Roman, the paragraph in ordinary Numerals. Thus Ber. ii. 4 means the Mishnic Tractate Berakhoth, second Chapter, fourth Paragraph. The Jerusalem Talmud is distinguished by the abbreviation Jer. before the name of the Tractate. Thus, Jer. Ber. is the Jer. Gemara, or Talmud, of the Tractate Berakhoth. The edition, from which quotations are made, is that commonly used, Krotoschin, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Whether There is to be a Resurrection of the Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that there is not to be a resurrection of the body: for it is written (Job 14:12): "Man, when he is fallen asleep, shall not rise again till the heavens be broken." But the heavens shall never be broken, since the earth, to which seemingly this is still less applicable, "standeth for ever" (Eccles. 1:4). Therefore the man that is dead shall never rise again. Objection 2: Further, Our Lord proves the resurrection by quoting the words: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Annunciation to Joseph of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^A Matt. I. 18-25. ^a 18 Now the birth [The birth of Jesus is to handled with reverential awe. We are not to probe into its mysteries with presumptuous curiosity. The birth of common persons is mysterious enough (Eccl. ix. 5; Ps. cxxxix. 13-16), and we do not well, therefore, if we seek to be wise above what is written as to the birth of the Son of God] of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed [The Jews were usually betrothed ten or twelve months …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Parable of the Good Samaritan.
(Probably Judæa.) ^C Luke X. 25-37. ^c 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? [For the term lawyer see pp. 313, 314, The lawyer wished to make trial of the skill of Jesus in solving the intricate and difficult question as to how to obtain salvation. Jesus was probably teaching in some house or courtyard, and his habit of giving local color to his parables suggests that he was probably in or near Bethany, through …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Healing of the Woman - Christ's Personal Appearance - the Raising of Jairus' Daughter
THERE seems remarkable correspondence between the two miracles which Jesus had wrought on leaving Capernaum and those which He did on His return. In one sense they are complementary to each other. The stilling of the storm and the healing of the demonised were manifestations of the absolute power inherent in Christ; the recovery of the woman and the raising of Jairus' daughter, evidence of the absolute efficacy of faith. The unlikeliness of dominion over the storm, and of command over a legion of …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Among the People, and with the Pharisees
It would have been difficult to proceed far either in Galilee or in Judaea without coming into contact with an altogether peculiar and striking individuality, differing from all around, and which would at once arrest attention. This was the Pharisee. Courted or feared, shunned or flattered, reverently looked up to or laughed at, he was equally a power everywhere, both ecclesiastically and politically, as belonging to the most influential, the most zealous, and the most closely-connected religions …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Barren Fig-Tree. Temple Cleansed.
(Road from Bethany and Jerusalem. Monday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 18, 19, 12, 13; ^B Mark XI. 12-18; ^C Luke XIX. 45-48. ^b 12 And ^a 18 Now ^b on the morrow [on the Monday following the triumphal entry], ^a in the morning ^b when they were come out from Bethany, ^a as he returned to the city [Jerusalem], he hungered. [Breakfast with the Jews came late in the forenoon, and these closing days of our Lord's ministry were full of activity that did not have time to tarry at Bethany for it. Our …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
In order accurately to understand the position of woman in Israel, it is only necessary carefully to peruse the New Testament. The picture of social life there presented gives a full view of the place which she held in private and in public life. Here we do not find that separation, so common among Orientals at all times, but a woman mingles freely with others both at home and abroad. So far from suffering under social inferiority, she takes influential and often leading part in all movements, specially …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

How Does it Come?
How does the Filling of the Spirit come? "Does it come once for all? or is it always coming, as it were?" was a question addressed to me once by a young candidate for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. There are many asking the same question. We have considered how the Fullness is obtained, but now we proceed to consider, How does the Fullness come? In speaking of the blessing of being filled with the Spirit, the New Testament writers use three tenses in the Greek--the Aorist, the Imperfect, and the …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
[Sidenote: First the principle, and then the detailed laws] If the canon of the New Testament had remained open as long as did that of the Old, there is little doubt that it also would have contained many laws, legal precedents, and ecclesiastical histories. From the writings of the Church Fathers and the records of the Catholic Church it is possible to conjecture what these in general would have been. The early history of Christianity illustrates the universal fact that the broad principles are …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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