Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.

DEUTERONOMY 22:11KJV
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Deuteronomy 22:11 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 22:11 mean?

Deuteronomy 22:11 instructs the Israelites not to wear clothing made from a mix of wool and linen. This law is one of several in the Old Testament that set boundaries for daily life, marking out distinct practices for Israel as a people.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The command is part of a larger section of laws that cover various aspects of community life. The rule about not mixing wool and linen in garments is often understood as a way to keep certain boundaries clear, reflecting a broader theme in the law of separating different kinds of things.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 22:11

  • "wear" (לָבַשׁ, lavash): This word means to put on or clothe oneself. The command is about what people actually wear, not just what is produced or owned.
  • "sorts" (שַׁעַטְנֵז, shaatnez): This rare word refers to a mixed fabric, specifically a mixture of wool and linen. Its use here highlights the specific prohibition against blending these two materials.
  • "woollen" (צֶמֶר, tzemer): This is the ordinary word for wool, the fiber from sheep.
  • "linen" (פִּשְׁתִּים, pishtim): This word refers to linen, a fabric made from flax.
  • "together" (יַחְדָּו, yachdav): This word means "together" or "combined," emphasizing that the issue is the combination of materials in a single garment.

Why Deuteronomy 22:11 matters

  • Deuteronomy 22:11 is sometimes misunderstood as a general statement about clothing, but it specifically addresses mixing wool and linen, not all fabric blends.
  • This verse fits into a larger pattern of laws in Deuteronomy that set Israel apart from surrounding nations, often through everyday practices.
  • The focus on separation in clothing mirrors other laws about keeping things distinct, such as not mixing seeds in a field or animals in plowing, highlighting a theme of order and boundaries in Israelite life.

Where else these words appear

“sorts” Hebrew H8162 · used in 2 verses

  • Leviticus 19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

“linen” Hebrew H6593 · used in 15 verses

  • Leviticus 13:47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment;
  • Joshua 2:6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
  • Ezekiel 40:3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

“woollen” Hebrew H6785 · used in 16 verses

  • Leviticus 13:47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment;
  • 2 Kings 3:4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
  • Ezekiel 27:18 Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.

“wear” Hebrew H3847 · used in 103 verses

  • Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
  • 2 Chronicles 5:12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
  • Isaiah 49:18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.