Should Women Not wear pants?
Update: If you want my follow up piece called “women's clothing and 1st Timothy” subscribe for free at the bottom!!!
Deuteronomy 22:5 (KJV)
5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
If you're a woman caught up in the Hebrew Israelite/Hebrew roots movement then you've likely been told that wearing pants is a sin, against the bible, and that God is not pleased with you wearing pants, and for some even worse. Fortunately, in the age of information, much historical and cultural context has only confirmed much of the biblical times we read about. And that is what sheds light on seeing for ourselves the meaning of biblical truths.
Question: what is "that which pertaineth to a man?
Answer: Whatever pertained to men. And in our case, the men of Israel.
Question: What clothes pertained to the men of israel in the times of deuteronomy?
Answer: Garments... And guess what? men did not wear pants to show an outer distinction from women at all. in fact, BOTH WORE GARMENTS.
Observe below from http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/culture_clothing.html
Before going further, consider this. The verse is subjective. Meaning, they dont say at all what pertains to a man or a woman. And for every age this distinction is carried out in different styles. end of story. This is why for example we have MEN’S pants and WOMEN’S pants. Because each pertains to their respective sex. The most immediate contextual meaning is cross dressing.
The most pressing question now is, what did the jews themselves say about the meaning of this passage?
The Aramaic Targums are ancient translations and interpretations of the Hebrew Bible from the 1st Century, used by Jews in their synagogues for public reading and teaching.
TARGUM Jonathan Ben Uzziel/Palestinian
with Jerusalem fragments
5 Neither fringed robes(ritual blue fringes) nor tephillin(phylactaries) which are the ornaments of a man shall be upon a woman; neither shall a man shave himself so as to appear like a woman; for every one who doeth so is an abomination before the Lord thy God.
This Aramaic Targum speaks of the laws of our Lord. It says that women shall not wear the fringed robes or tephillin which are for men. And men shall not shave themselves to look like women, for it is an abomination before the Lord our God.
Now this quote mentions the types of jewish clothing and and religious ornaments and interprets the verse in this limit.
2. PHILO OF ALEXANDRIA
Philo of Alexandria was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in the 1st century CE, known for his synthesis of Greek philosophy and Jewish scripture.
"For if it is a most disgraceful thing for a man to be effeminate, it is also no less disgraceful for a woman to be masculine." (On the Special Laws, 3.40)
"For the lawgiver does not wish the sexes to be confounded, nor does he desire that the men should be effeminate, or the women masculine." (On the Special Laws, 3.41)
"It is fitting, then, that each sex should adhere to its own occupations, and that the man should be a man, and the woman a woman." (On the Special Laws, 3.42)
"But the lawgiver regards and advises every man to pay attention to the business of his own life, and not to be eager to be engaged in the affairs of women, or to be effeminate and to undertake the female pursuit of spinning or weaving; nor, on the other hand, to exhibit himself in female ornaments, but to be contented with the garments which nature has given to each sex respectively." (On the Special Laws, 3.39)
I recall the words of the Roman poet Juvenal, who said, "But when a woman starts wearing leather, or takes up a shield, or makes herself look like a man in some way, the way things stand now, we have to take that as a sign of the end of the world." These words speak to the notion that cross dressing was viewed with suspicion and disapproval in the ancient world, and seen as a sign of social and moral decay.
3. RABBI ELEAZAR BEN AZARIAH
Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah was a prominent Jewish sage who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE and was known for his wisdom in Jewish law and tradition.
Sifrei Devarim 226:
'This is referring to a man's garment that is embroidered with colors and is similar to a woman's garment, and similarly, a woman shall not put on a man's garment that is embroidered with colors and is similar to a man's garment, since this is not the way of modesty.'"
4. JOSEPHUS
Josephus was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and writer, known for his works "The Jewish War" and "Antiquities of the Jews" which chronicle Jewish history and the Roman conquest of Judea.
Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews
Book 4, Chapter 7, Section 12
"And let every one esteem the tribe he belongs to to be this army, and lay aside his own occupation, and undertake the exercises that belong to a soldier; for instance, let the farmer use the exercise of the slinger, and of the archer, and let the shepherd still learn the use of the javelin, and of the sling. Let the boy also that is pure and virtuous, and so is the servant of his elder, come into the army as an assistant to his elder; and such as these let their hair grow long, and let them have their garments all of one color, and girded with a belt, and let them have some sort of a garment that may cover them, as well as their entire bodies. And let them have shoes that may fit them, and not be uneasy to them in their exercises. But let them not have on a garment that is woolen, for that is apt to make them itch; but let them have a garment made of linen. Let them be always with their arms ready for war; and let them know, that death is not only common to all, but, in war, is a debt peculiarly due to soldiers. But let not women make use of garments proper to men, nor a man make use of a woman's garment; for this is not right.”
MAIMONIDES
Maimonides (1135-1204) was a medieval Jewish philosopher and rabbi, considered one of the most important figures in Jewish intellectual history. His works include the Mishneh Torah and the Guide for the Perplexed.
Maimonides, "Moreh Nevuchim," Part 3, Chapter 12:
"The aim of the Law is to promote the well-being of mankind, to guard them against harm, and to teach them such practices as promote health and strength, and conduce to social order and harmony. Therefore, the Law enjoins that men should not wear women's garments nor should women wear men's garments, and the transgression of this precept is prohibited because it leads to evil consequences."
Maimonides, "Moreh Nevuchim," note 33 on Deuteronomy 22:5:
"The object of this prohibition is to prevent any confusion of the sexes, which is unbecoming to modesty and to regard for propriety. Men should not strive to appear like women, nor women like men; and men should be distinguished from women in their dress, and women from men, in order to maintain decency and propriety."
So we see many perspectives from The Jews of different ages. We have Maimonides, a prominent Jewish philosopher and scholar, believed that this verse prohibits transvestitism and cross-dressing, as it goes against traditional gender roles and societal norms. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher and theologian, believed that this verse was intended to emphasize the importance of modesty and chastity, and that it applies to both men and women.
Josephus, a Jewish historian and priest, believed that this verse was intended to prohibit transvestitism and cross-dressing as a form of idolatry, as it was commonly associated with pagan rituals and practices. Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah, a Talmudic sage, believed that this verse prohibited wearing clothing that was typically associated with the opposite gender, as it went against the traditional gender roles and societal norms of the time.
Other Jewish commentators have also offered their interpretations of this verse, with some emphasizing the importance of modesty and others focusing on the prohibition of transvestitism and cross-dressing. Some have also interpreted this verse in a broader sense, arguing that it prohibits any behavior or action that goes against traditional gender roles and societal norms.
We have many Hebrew commentators that interpreted Deuteronomy 22:5 in a variety of ways, with some emphasizing the importance of modesty, others focusing on the banning of transvestitism and cross-dressing, and others interpreting the verse in a broader sense. Nonetheless, most agree that this verse was intended to uphold traditional gender roles and societal norms.
During the times of the wilderness journeys, the surrounding nations had a very different outlook on gender clothing.
The Cultural Background Study Bible is a resource that explores the historical, cultural, and social context of the Bible, using archaeology, history, and other fields of study to provide a deeper understanding of the text. And is my personal bible i read from. THE PHYSICAL COPY.
It says the following on the subject.
The Cultural Background Study Bible
“In Mesopotamian literature the goddess Ishtar is androgynous (both psychologically and physiologically), marginal and ambiguous. She shatters the boundaries of male/female, war/love, divine/human and more. Known also as Inanna-Ishtar, she breaks all gender and socioeconomic distinctions. Some scholars suggest that Israel’s reaction to this type of description/perversion was to prohibit its occurrence in Israel. Hittite texts also report the use of gender-related clothes and objects (mirror and distaff for women, weapons for men) in magical rituals used to influence one’s sexual status or to alter the gender status of an adversary. Most instances that mention cross-dressing are religious or legal in nature.
Hittite texts illuminate the larger issue of gender confusion as abnormal and depict it as a shaming technique in certain circumstances. In the Ritual and Prayer to Ishtar of Nineveh, males captured by the Hittites have their manhood shamefully insulted and removed by being dressed to look like women. A scarf worn by women was placed on them, and they were forced to do women’s work with a distaff and spindle in their hand. This was an act of shaming that punished soldiers who broke an oath of allegiance to the king.”
One last observation. God speaks of this as an "Abomination"!!!.... This word most of the time was used in relation to Israel's old tough habit that took centuries to kick... IDOLATRY!... So if cross dressing was done by Canaanites to worship their deity who at times was androgynous, then it makes perfect sense as to why God would say that such a thing was abominable as a key word used as a theme of frustration over just one of the many sins that come from idolatry.
So, Can women wear pants?... Yes... God's focus was not on pants or dresses in Deuteronomy. This was also a time when Israelites were still in the wilderness, warning them to not take on the ways of the Canaanites. whatever "pertaineth" to a man, THAT alone is what a woman is not to wear.
In the new testament under The New Covenant brought about by Jesus, this law of clothing in Deuteronomy 22:5 is not a law of the new covenant at all. but idolatry and idol practices and worship is still a sin under the new covenant(Galatians 5, Romans 1). But wearing pants(especially women's pants) is not a sin. Neither in this covenant, nor the former.
Christ is risen...