Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue. It shall be to you for a fringe, that you may see it, and remember all Yahweh’s commandments, and do them; and that you don’t follow your own heart and your own eyes, after which you used to play the prostitute; so that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Yahweh your God.”
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue.
It shall be to you for a fringe, that you may see it, and remember all Yahweh’s commandments, and do them; and that you don’t follow your own heart and your own eyes, after which you used to play the prostitute;
so that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Yahweh your God.”
-
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.
Show all 3 translations
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And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
'Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue.
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray;
that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.'
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
Cross-references (37)
- Matthew 23:5 (v38) But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments,
- Deuteronomy 22:12 (v38) You shall make yourselves fringes on the four corners of your cloak with which you cover yourself.
- Matthew 9:20 (v38) Behold, a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment;
- Luke 8:44 (v38) came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak. Immediately the flow of her blood stopped.
- Psalms 73:27 (v39) For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.
Show all 37 cross-references
- Psalms 106:39 (v39) Thus they were defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds.
- Proverbs 28:26 (v39) One who trusts in himself is a fool; but one who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
- Romans 12:1 (v40) Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your…
- Leviticus 11:44-45 (v40) For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of…
- Ezekiel 6:9 (v39) Those of you that escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken with their lewd heart,…
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (v40) For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
- Exodus 13:9 (v39) It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that Yahweh’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong…
- Proverbs 3:1 (v39) My son, don’t forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments:
- Colossians 1:2 (v40) to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 1 Peter 1:15-16 (v40) but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy; for…
- Leviticus 19:2 (v40) “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.
- Deuteronomy 4:23 (v39) Be careful, lest you forget the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he made with you, and make yourselves a carved image in the form of…
- Deuteronomy 29:19 (v39) and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the…
- Job 31:7 (v39) if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 (v39) Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the…
- Ephesians 1:4 (v40) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,
- James 4:4 (v39) You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a…
- Exodus 34:15-16 (v39) “Don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and…
- Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (v39) These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of…
- Deuteronomy 11:28-32 (v39) and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, but turn away out of the way which I command you today, to go…
- Jeremiah 9:14 (v39) but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them.”
- Hosea 2:2 (v39) Contend with your mother! Contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her prostitution from her face,…
- 1 Peter 2:9-10 (v41) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of…
- Leviticus 22:33 (v41) who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am Yahweh.”
- Leviticus 25:38 (v41) I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
- Deuteronomy 6:12 (v39) then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
- Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (v39) Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall…
- Psalms 105:45 (v41) that they might keep his statutes, and observe his laws. Praise Yah!
- Jeremiah 31:31-33 (v41) “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according…
- Jeremiah 32:37-41 (v41) “Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I…
- Ezekiel 36:25-27 (v41) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols. I will…
- Hebrews 11:16 (v41) But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v39 By leaving God’s commandments and following your own fantasies.
By leaving God’s commandments and following your own fantasies.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv38, 40 Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and…
Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
Ver. 38. That they may make them fringes.] {See Trapp on "Mat 23:5"}
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A ribband of blue.] This sky coloured ribbon taught them, that though their commoration was on earth, their conversation should be in heaven. {Php 3:20}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv38, 39, 41 Fringes were certain threads or ends of their garments,…
Fringes were certain threads or ends of their garments, standing out a little further than the rest of their garments, left there for this use.
In the borders, i.e. in the four borders or quarters, as it is Deu 22:12. Heb. wings, which is oft used for borders or ends, as Rth 3:9; 1Sa 15:27; 24:5, &c.
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Of their garments, i.e. of their upper garment, or that wherewith they covered themselves, as is expressed Deu 22:12. This was practised by the Pharisees in Christ’s time, who are noted for making their borders larger than ordinary, Mat 23:5; and by Christ himself, as may gathered from Luk 8:44.
A riband, to make it more obvious to the sight, and consequently more serviceable to the use here mentioned.
Of blue, or, of a purple colour, as the Jewish writers agree, whose opinion is the more considerable, because it was matter of constant practice among them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v37 Provision had been just now made by the law…
Provision had been just now made by the law for the pardon of sins of ignorance and infirmity; now here is an expedient provided for the preventing of such sins. They are ordered to make fringes upon the borders of their garments, which were to be memorandums to them of their duty, that they might not sin through forgetfulness. 1. The sign appointed is a fringe of silk, or thread, or worsted, or the garment itself ravelled at the bottom, and a blue riband bound on the top of it to keep it tight, Num 15:38. The Jews being a peculiar people, they were thus distinguished from their neighbours in their dress, as well as in their diet, and taught by such little instances of singularity not to be conformed to the way of the heathen in greater things. Thus likewise they proclaimed themselves Jews wherever they were, as those that were not ashamed of God and his law. Our Saviour, being made under the law, wore these fringes; hence we read of the hem or border, of his garment, Mat 9:20. These borders the Pharisees enlarged, that they might be thought more holy and devout than other people. The phylacteries were different things; these were their own invention, the fringes were a divine institution. The Jews at this day wear them, saying, when they put them on, Blessed be he who has sanctified us unto himself, and commanded us to wear fringes. 2. The intention of it was to remind them that they were a peculiar people. They were not appointed for the trimming and adorning of their clothes, but to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance (Pe2 3:1), that they might look upon the fringe and remember the commandments. Many look upon their ornaments to feed their pride, but they must look upon these ornaments to awaken their consciences to a sense of their duty, that their religion might constantly beset them, and that they might carry it about with them, as they did their clothes, wherever they went. If they were tempted to sin, the fringe would be a monitor to them not to break God's commandments: If a duty was forgotten to be done in its season, the fringe would remind them of it. This institution, though it is not an imposition upon us, is an instruction to us, always to remember the commandments of the Lord our God, that we may do them, to treasure them up in our memories, and to apply them to particular cases as there is occasion to use them. It was intended particularly to be a preservative from idolatry: that you seek not after your own heart, and your own eyes, in your religious worship. Yet it may extend also to the whole conversation, for nothing is more contrary to God's honour, and our own true interest, than to walk in the way of our heart and in the sight of our eyes; for the imagination of the heart is evil, and so is the lust of the eyes.
After the repetition of some ceremonial appointments, the chapter closes with that great and fundamental law of religion, Be holy unto your God, purged from sin, and sincerely devoted to his service; and that great reason for all the commandments is again and again inculcated, I am the Lord your God. Did we more firmly believe, and more frequently and seriously consider, that God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, we should see ourselves bound in duty, interest, and gratitude, to keep all his commandments.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv37–40 Speak unto the children of Israel,.... Whom it only…
Speak unto the children of Israel,.... Whom it only concerned, and all of them, except women and children; for priests, Levites, Israelites, proselytes, and freed servants, were bound to wear the fringes, but not Gentiles; nor might the Gentiles make them, what were made by them were not to be used (z), since it follows:
and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments, throughout their generations: the garments on which these fringes were put were such that were made either of linen or of woollen; no other were obliged to them by the law; but according to the Rabbins other garments were also, yet only square garments, which they call the Talith; and if that had not four skirts to it, it was free from them (a): on this square garment, and the four corners or skirts of it, were the fringes put; which were a sort of pendants or tassels, which hung down from it, which consisted of eight white woollen threads, sometimes four, sometimes eight or twelve fingers broad (b); there were four of them, one at each skirt or corner of the garment: they were, as another writer says (c), made of eight threads broad, each of them being knit to the middle with five knots, and of wool spun on purpose for this use; and these were to be wore by them throughout their generations until the Messiah came, and they seem to have been worn by him, Mat 9:20 however, it is certain they were worn by the Pharisees in his time, Mat 23:5; at present this four cornered garment is not any where in common use among the Jews, instead of which they wear, under their other garments, a kind of square frock, with the fringes or tassels fastened to it, and this they call Arbah Canfot; and in their schools, and at certain times of prayer, they put on a certain square woollen vestment, with the said pendants fastened at each corner, and this they call Talith (d):
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and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a riband of blue; or a blue lace, a piece of blue tape, which bound and kept the fringe tight and close, and being of a different colour, the fringe being white, made it the more conspicuous: the reason why this colour was used, the Jews say (e), was, because it was like the sea, and the like the sky, and the sky like the throne of glory: this blue, hyacinth, or purple colour, as the Jews generally take it to be, was of a peculiar dye; the manner of making which is now unknown to them, and therefore they use only the white (f).
(z) Sepher Alphes, par. 1. fol. 439. 2. & 442. 1. Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. c. 14. sect. 1. (a) Schulchan ib. c. 9. sect. 1. & c. 10. sect. 1. & c. 24. 1. (b) Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. 9. p. 160. (c) Leo Modena, History of the present Jews, par. 1. c. 5. sect. 7. (d) lb. sect. 9. (e) T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 17. 1. (f) Maimon. in Misn. Menachot, c. 4. sect. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv38–41 Fringes - These were certain threads or ends, standing…
Fringes - These were certain threads or ends, standing out a little further than the rest of their garments, lest there for this use. In the borders - That is, in the four borders or quarters, as it is, Deut. xxii, 12. Of their garments - Of their upper garments. This was practiced by the Pharisees in Christ's time, who are noted for making their borders larger than ordinary. A ribband - To make it more obvious to the sight, and consequently more serviceable to the use here mentioned. Of blue - Or, purple.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v38 Verse 38. Bid them - make them fringes] We…
Verse 38. Bid them - make them fringes] We learn from Nu 15:39 that these fringes were emblematical of the various commands of God. That there was any analogy between a fringe and a precept, it would be bold to assert; but when a thing is appointed to represent another, no matter how different, that first object be comes the regular representative or sign of the other. There is no analogy between the term bread and the farinaceous nutritive substance thereby signified; but because this term is used to express and represent that thing, every person thus understands it; and when the word bread is seen or heard, a perfect knowledge, not of the letters which compose that word, but of the thing signified by it, is conveyed to the mind. So the fringes, being appointed by God to represent and bring to mind the commandments of God, Nu 15:39, the mention or sight of them conveyed the intelligence intended. All the Jews wore these, and so probably did our Lord; see Mt 9:20, where the word κρασπεον is rather to be understood of the fringe than of the hem of his garment.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv38–40 Num 15:38. Fringes — These were certain threads, or…
Num 15:38. Fringes — These were certain threads, or ends, standing out a little farther than the rest of their garments, left there for this use. In the borders — That is, in the four borders or quarters, as it is, Deu 22:12. Of their garments — Of their upper garments. This was practised by the Pharisees in Christ’s time, who are noted for making their borders larger than ordinary. A riband — To make it more obvious to the sight, and consequently more serviceable to the use here mentioned. Of blue — Or, purple.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v38 That they put upon the fringe of the borders…
That they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue - Reader that they add to the fringes of the borders (or corners) a thread of blue (compare the marginal references). These fringes are considered to be of Egypttian origin. The ordinary outer Jewish garment was a quadrangular piece of cloth like a modern plaid, to the corners of which, in conformity with this command, a tassel was attached. Each tassel had a conspicuous thread of deep blue, this color being doubtless symbolic of the heavenly origin of the commandments of which it was to serve as a memento. Tradition determined that the other threads should be white - this color being an emblem of purity (compare Isa 1:18). The arrangement of the threads and knots, to which the Jews attached the greatest importance, was so adjusted as to set forth symbolically the 613 precepts of which the Law was believed to consist. In our Lord’s time the Pharisees enlarged their fringes Mat 23:5 in order to obtain reputation for their piety. In later times howerer, the Jews have worn the fringed garment (tālı̂̄th) of a smaller size and as an under-dress. Its use is still retained, especially at morning prayer in the Synagogue.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv38–39 Fringes. The Pharisees enlarged these fringes through hypocrisy, (Matthew…
Fringes. The Pharisees enlarged these fringes through hypocrisy, (Matthew xxiii. 5,) to appear more zealous than other men for the law of God. (Challoner) --- Our Saviour conformed to this law, Luke viii. 44. Moses shews that these fringes were to be made for the cloak, which was square, and not for the tunic, Deuteronomy xxii. 12. The colour, in St. Justin Martyr’s time, was purple. (Dialogue with Trypho) It seems that the Phœnicians were accustomed to wear such fringes. Sidoniam picto chlamidem circumdata limbo. (Virgil, Æneid iv.) (Calmet) --- God ordained that his people should be thus distinguished from other nations. (Tirinus)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv38, 41 bid them that they make them fringes in the…
bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments--These were narrow strips, in a wing-like form, wrapped over the shoulders and on various parts of the attire. "Fringe," however, is the English rendering of two distinct Hebrew words--the one meaning a narrow lappet or edging, called the "hem" or "border" (Mat 23:5; Luk 8:44), which, in order to make it more attractive to the eye and consequently more serviceable to the purpose described, was covered with a riband of blue or rather purple color; the other term signifies strings with tassels at the end, fastened to the corners of the garment. Both of these are seen on the Egyptian and Assyrian frocks; and as the Jewish people were commanded by express and repeated ordinances to have them, the fashion was rendered subservient, in their case, to awaken high and religious associations--to keep them in habitual remembrance of the divine commandments.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv37–39 MNEMONIC FRINGES, Num_15:37-41.
MNEMONIC FRINGES, Num_15:37-41.
In condescension to the infirmity of the memory God appoints a token or memorial of all his statutes to be worn upon the person as a constant reminder.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv37–39 37–41. Tassels to be worn as a reminder of…
37–41. Tassels to be worn as a reminder of Jehovah’s commandments.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv38–39 (38) That they make them fringes . . .…
(38) That they make them fringes . . . —Better, That they make them tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the tassel of the corner (i.e., on each tassel) a thread (or cord) of blue. The tassels (zirith) appear to be the same as the gedilim (fringes) of Deu_22:12. The outer garment of the Jews was a fourcornered cloth, which was also used by the poor as a counterpane (Exo_22:26-27). It appears to have been commonly used with a hole in the centre, through which the head was put, so that one-half covered the front and the other the back of the body. These tassels, or fringes (LXX. κράσπεδα—craspeda), were enlarged by the Pharisees to exhibit their punctilious fulfilment of the Law (Matt. xiii 5). Great sanctity was attached to these fringes or tassels, and for this cause the woman with the issue of blood desired to touch a kraspedon of our Saviour’s garment (Mat_9:20).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv37, 38, 39, 41 THE LAW OF TASSELS (verses Rom_12:2 2Co_6:14-18 Tit_2:14 Heb_7:26…
THE LAW OF TASSELS (verses Rom_12:2 2Co_6:14-18 Tit_2:14 Heb_7:26 Jam_4:4 1Pe_2:9)
II THAT THE DISTINCTION HERE COMMANDED WAS TRIVIAL IN ITSELF, AND IN AFTER AGES TURNED TO SUPERSTITION AND ARROGANCE. (Mat_23:5) Even so all external distinctions, however harmless and even venerable by association, have an unalterable tendency to substitute themselves for the inward differences which they symbolize. Consider the reproach which has overtaken the very name of "Christian a name so full of significance, warning, and encouragement among heathens and Mahometans. And how little effect the high-sounding names of Christian bodies have had upon their lives, save indeed in fostering arrogance and self-righteousness. No external distinction is of any value unless it has a real correspondence to something inward and spiritual. (Rom_2:29 Rom_14:17 1Co_8:8 Gal_6:15)
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III THAT THE TASSELS WERE INTENDED TO PRODUCE AND TO FOSTER A HABIT OF RE-COLLECTEDNESS, ESPECIALLY AMONG STRANGERS. The tasseled Hebrew was perpetually reminded that he shared in privileges, responsibilities, and dangers which the nations knew nothing of. Even so the faithful Christian has no greater or more necessary safeguard than a habit of recollectedness, and he is bound to cultivate it carefully by prayer and self-discipline. In the midst of innumerable entanglements, confusions, and perplexities, he has continually to call to mind whose he is and whom he serves. Mixing, conversing, dealing in every way with those whose aims, motives, and principles are avowedly worldly and selfish, he has to check himself at every turn by this recollection; and only thus can he escape from sin. (Php_2:15, 16 1Ti_6:1, 2Ti_2:8)
IV THAT THE HYACINTHINE BLUE OF THE STRING, OR THREAD, WAS MEANT TO REMIND THE ISRAELITE OF HEAVEN, AND THE GOD OF HEAVEN. (cf. the "jacinth" of Rev_9:17) Even so there must be in the faithful soul a perpetual remembrance of heaven as at once his home and goal; for it is this remembrance only mingling with all other thoughts which will keep him from the subtle greed and from the base attractions of earth. (Php_3:20 Heb_12:1, 2 1Pe_2:11 2Pe_3:12, 2Pe_3:13) And note that this spirit of recollectedness in these two particulars, viz., whose we are, and whither we are bound, is the true and distinctive adornment of all faithful Christians, no matter in what diversity of outward circumstance they may be arrayed. And this, without the least ostentation or self-consciousness, will at once make them known to one another, (cf. Mal_3:16) and mark them out for an instinctive wonder and admiration in the eyes of all who are seeking after God.
V THAT THE ONE GREAT AND BLESSED TRUTH WHICH GAVE REALITY AND MEANING TO THIS DISTINCTION WAS, "I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD." Even so whatever may distinguish the faithful Christian from others has no other foundation than this, that God is his God his in Christ, his in a sense which is beyond words or thought. It is not the fact that he is more righteous than others which any distinctive conduct or observance is meant to proclaim; but simply that God has been more merciful to him, and has drawn him closer to himself in Christ. (1Co_3:21-23 1Jn_1:3 2Pe_1:4)
HOMILIES BY E.S. PROUT Vers. 37-41. The use and abuse of memorials.
This law is one of the many illustrations of the minute particulars prescribed by the laws of Moses. We find other illustrations in precepts respecting ploughing, (Deu_22:10) sowing, (Deu_22:9) reaping, (Lev_23:22) threshing, (Deu_25:4) killing, (Lev_17:13) cooking, (Exo_23:19) clothing, (Deu_22:11) &c. All these laws had certain moral or spiritual significations. The precept respecting the fringes teaches us;
I THE VALUE OF MEMORIALS.
1. To remind us of spiritual truths. The peculiarity of the Jew"s dress was a witness to him that he belonged to "a peculiar people" (Deu_14:2) separated unto God. Possibly the blue colour (cf. Exo_28:31) was intended to remind him that he belonged to a kingdom of priests.
2. Such memorials are needed because of our treacherous memories, which, like sieves, may let pure water run away, but retain the sediment and rubbish.
3. And they are valuable for the sake of others. The Jews taught that even a blind man must wear the fringe, because others could see it. Strangers may be impressed by our memorial services, even if we are blind to their significance. Our children and their descendants may learn by them. Illustrations Passover; (Exo_12:24-27) altar and stones on Ebal and Gerizim. (Deu_27:1-8 Jos_8:30-35) The Lord"s Supper, by which we "show Christ"s death till he come.
II THE DANGER OF THEIR ABUSE.
1. Because of our inveterate tendency to exaggerate the importance of what is external. Hence fringes were "enlarged" (Mat_23:5) and phylacteries were invented. (Deu_6:6-9) The simple supper of the Lord has been developed into the pompous ceremonies of the mass.
2. And thus to stop at the symbol and thereby prevent it. Illustrations The serpent of brass idolized; (2Ki_18:4) the ark treated as a charm. (1Sa_4:3)
3. And by so doing to "come short" of the promise of salvation which is "in Christ Jesus," who is "the way, and the truth, and the life." Nevertheless, God does not take away symbolic memorials from us, but throws on us the responsibility of using "as not abusing" them. P.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG Vers. 37-40. The fringes: ever-present reminders.
I A NEED TO BE PROVIDED FOR. These numerous and all-important commandments must, if such a thing is possible, be kept continually before the minds of the people. God has already provided for the need, in fact, by appointing an atonement for sins of ignorance. These would be very largely sins of forgetfulness, and so, as prevention is better than cure, it was desirable to guard against forgetfulness. Sins of ignorance, when committed, may be atoned for, but it is better, if such a thing can be, not to commit them at all. Hence God, knowing the natural forgetfulness of the human heart, and bow many cares, pleasures, novelties, and objects of interest there are to draw it away from the consideration of his will, recognizes a need to be provided for in a special way. The will of God, moreover, needed to be constantly remembered. It bears on all our conscious life, and through that in many unknown ways on the unconscious life beneath. There was no action of an Israelite"s life but could be done in God"s way or in his own. A moment"s incaution, and he might step into some great transgression. The law through Moses was a thing of details, and to neglect the least detail was to impair the whole. Evidently this need has still to be provided for. The law through Christ for our life is also one needing to be constantly remembered. There is no moment when it does not stand before us in all its spirituality, and its searching for inward conformity. Nor can we pretend that our hearts are any better, any more in sympathy with God, than those in Israel of old. The human heart under Christ needs to be provided for just as much as under Moses. Thus we may be sure that if God saw the need then, he sees it equally now.
II GOD"S PROVISION FOR THE NEED. He provided something that should always be before the eye. Fringes or tassels on the garments were ever-present remembrancers. Many times a day the wearer could not but cast his eye on this addition to his garment, and he was at once to recollect that it was something not added by his own fancy, but that he might ask himself the question, "Am I at this moment doing the will of God?" Nor on his own garment only was the fringe of use; every time his eye rested on the garments of others, similarly adorned, he was reminded to treat them in a just, godly, and brotherly fashion, as being also Israelites, holy and privileged as himself. (Gal_6:10) And may we not say that we have reminders, so various, numerous, and increasing, as to the claims of God upon us, that they amount to something like a fringe on our garments? There may be nothing of distinct Divine appointment in many of these reminders, but if they are such as naturally turn our attention to holy things, then the presence of them adds very much to our responsibility. Every Bible that we see; every passage of Scripture set in other writing; every church spire rising to the sky, or even the humblest building given to religious uses; every known minister of religion, or indeed any one known to be a Christian; every grave-yard and burial procession these and many such have all in them something of the fringes. We cannot afford to despise any helps towards knowledge and obedience. He provided the same memorial for all. He did not count it sufficient there should be any memorial the individual might choose. There was to be no room for individual caprice. The memorial was a fringe, and it was always blue. Thus, while there are many things which may be used to remind us of God"s will, there are some especially designed for this end. Those who accept the permanent obligation of the Lord"s Supper are brought, on every observance of it, face to face with him whom only too easily we forget. "Do this in remembrance of me." But since all do not accept this obligation, and those who do meet in different ways and with varying frequency, we can hardly find here that which is to correspond in the gospel with the fringes in the law. Is there any one settled and definite thing which Christ gives us now the same for us all? May we not answer from Joh_16:13: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all (the) truth"? Where Moses gave commandments, Christ gave promises, which are only commandments in another form. We have now to do not with a body of positive precepts, to be understood and obeyed in our natural strength, but with a living and life-giving Spirit, and the more we have the life of that Spirit in us, the more we shall be preserved from errors in doctrine, and from omissions, exaggerations, and defects in duty. We are not now called to manufacture lifeless and merely typical observances according to a pattern. Obedience now is to be a growth; and if there is heavenly, pure, and energetic life in us, then we shall not be lacking in strength, beauty, and fruitfulness. What signification, if any, may there be in the colour? Perhaps it is not fanciful to suppose that it may have been chosen as having correspondence with the tint of the sky something to help in turning the thoughts of the people away from earth to him who dwells on high. Tennyson reminds us ("In Memoriam," 51) of "The sinless years That breathed beneath the Syrian blue.
III THE LIMITED USE OF GOD"S PROVISION. It was as good a monitor as could be given in the circumstances, always moving about with the person who had to remember. But remembrance, even supposing it exact and opportune, would only reveal more and more the inevitable weakness in action. What could the fringes help in the doing? Could they turn men from seeking after their own hearts and their own eyes? By the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom_3:20) Hence the better their knowledge of the law in its requirements, and the more exact their remembrance, the more painful and depressing would be the consciousness of their own sin. The holier they became in outward compliances, the more would they feel their pollution and their separation of heart from God. If any one ever knew the value of the fringes, we should judge it to have been David, yet read Psalm 119, and notice how he there gathers up his earnest longings for conformity with God"s law, and not unfrequently seems to tread the verge of despair. We must have more than mere admonitions, however frequent and earnest, if we are to do God"s will and be in truth holy before him. Hence we come back to that work of the Spirit of Christ, putting within us new life, and that love which is the best of all monitors. The fringe above all fringes, the riband made of heaven"s own blue, is to have love in the heart. Love never forgets. It has its object ever in its thoughts first in the morning, last at night, and flitting even through dreams. Fringes may recall words and outward ceremonies, but love discovers fresh applications and larger meanings. Love does with the mere words of commandment as the chemist does with material things, ever discovering in them new combinations, properties, and powers. Y. (Joh_14:23-26)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv38, 41 Put upon the fringe . . . a ribband…
Num_15:38-40
Put upon the fringe . . . a ribband of blue.
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The law of the fringe and ribband
Provision had been just now made by the law for the pardon of sins of ignorance and infirmity, now here is an expedient provided for the preventing of such sins. They are ordered to make fringes upon the borders of their garments, which were to be memorandums to them of their duty, that they might not sin through forgetfulness.
1. The sign appointed is a fringe of silk, or thread, or worsted, or the garment itself ravelled at the bottom, and a blue ribband bound on the top of it to keep it tight (Num_15:38). The Jews being a peculiar people, they were thus distinguished from their neighbours in their dress, as well as in their diet; and taught by such little instances of singularity, not to be conformed to the way of the heathen in greater things. Thus likewise they proclaimed themselves Jews wherever they were, as those that were not ashamed of God and His law.
2. The intention of it was to remind them that they were a peculiar people. They were not appointed for the trimming and adorning of their clothes, but to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance (2Pe_3:1). That they might look upon the fringe, and remember the commandments. Many look upon their ornaments to feed their pride, but they must look upon these ornaments to awaken their consciences to a sense of their duty, that their religion might constantly beset them, and they might carry it about with them, as they did their clothes, wherever they went. It was intended particularly to be a preservation from idolatry, That ye seek not after your own heart, and your own eyes, in your religious worship. Yet it may extend also to the whole conversation; for nothing is more contrary to Gods honour and our own true interest than to walk in the way of our heart, and in the sight of our eyes; for the imagination of the heart is evil, and so is the lust of the eyes. (Matthew Henry, D. D.)
The ribband of blue
The chief use of clothing is defence against the chills and variations of the weather; two subordinate uses are for the promotion of beauty, and for distinction of office. We can be at no loss to perceive that there are mental uses corresponding to the above which require for the soul spiritual clothing. The soul has its summer and its winter, and all the varieties of a mental year. There are seasons of hopefulness and brilliancy in which we have all the elasticity and promise of spring; there are states of peaceful warmth, of continued serene happiness; the souls calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy which bespeak the spirits summer; but there are likewise periods of decreasing warmth, of incipient depressions, and coolnesses to what has formerly yielded the highest pleasure; until at length we arrive at states of painful cold, the joylessness, the hopelessness, and the sadness, which ate the characteristics of the winter of the soul. In this wintry state storms of distressing fears and darkening doubts will rush upon the soul. Strong delusions that we may believe a lie, will, like fierce tempests, howl about us. Thrice happy are they who remember that the Divine Word will be a blessing in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, in summer and in winter; but they should also bear in mind, that to be a protection in all seasons the Divine mercy has provided us with spiritual clothing. The doctrines of religion, when intelligently adopted and adapted to our particular states, serve this important purpose. And when those doctrines are, as they ought to be, full, comprehensive, and complete, applying themselves to all the departments of human affection, thought, and life, they make a complete dress. We are, then, to speak to the Israelites who are typified by those of our text, the spiritual Israelites; and say first that they clothe themselves with genuine doctrines of Divine truth, with the garments of salvation, and next, that they especially make them fringes in the borders of their garments. After we have meditated upon the doctrines of religion, and seen their fitness to our own states of mind and heart, thus clothed ourselves in them, the next part of our duty is to bring them into life. Many there are who put on religion as a dress for the head, and even also for the breast, but do not bring it down to the feet. But we are to make a border for our garments, and the border must be a fringe. The distinctive feature of a fringe is, that the material of which it is composed is divided into small portions firmly united at the upper part, but hanging with separate forms of beauty at the lower. The idea suggested by this is, that religion must be employed in all the small affairs of daily life as well as on great occasions; the lowest part of our spiritual dress must be a fringe. We are, however, not only commanded to have a fringe to our garments, but to have upon the fringe a ribband of blue. And this leads us to consider the correspondence of colours. Natural colours, we know, originate in natural light. They are the separation of the beauties which are bound up in the sunbeam, and their reflection to the human eye. There is a trinity of fundamental colours, red, blue, and yellow. From the blending of these in varied proportions all others are made. Red, the colour of fire, is the symbol of the truths of love, the fire of the soul. Blue, the colour of the azure depths of the sky, is symbolic of the deep things of the Spirit of God, on which faith delights to gaze. Yellow is the hue of truth which applies to outward life, and in combination with blue it makes green, which corresponds to truth in the letter of the Word, made simple to the common eye of mankind. Blue gives a sense of clearness and depth, in which it surpasses all other hues. Blue, then, is the colour which represents the spirit of the Holy Word, the depths of heavenly wisdom. There is, however, cold blue, as it has more of white in it, and warm blue, as it derives a certain hue from red. There has also been some difficulty in determining the exact shade meant by Techeleth, the Hebrew name for this colour. But from a full consideration of this subject we are satisfied it was the name for blue tinged with red, from violet to purple. And this very strikingly brings out the Divine lesson by correspondence. While the blue indicates that in our demeanour in life we should be correct, in harmony with the spirit of truth, the red hue indicates that all our truth ought to be softened and warmed by love. Speak the truth in love, said the apostle, and to remind them of this duty God commanded the ribband of warm blue to be worn upon the fringe of their garments by the sons of Israel. It is religion in life that is observed by and is attractive to good men. When it not only enlightens the head and rules the heart, but comes down to the skirt of the garment, infusing justice, kindness, and courtesy in every act and word, then it has an eloquence which will inspire many a well-disposed heart to say, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Let your good works and your good words so shine before men, that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven. (J. Bayley, Ph. D.)
The ordinance of the fringes: gracious reminders of Divine commands
I. The proneness of man to forget the commandments of the Lord. This tendency arises from--
1. The sinfulness of human nature.
2. The worldly spirit which so largely prevails in human society.
II. The arrangements which God has made to remind man of his commandments.
1. The means which God employs to remind us of His commandments.
(1) The Bible. In this He not only reveals His will concerning us, but illustrates and enforces it in various ways so that we might not forget it.
(2) The Holy Spirit. He influences our spirits; speaks in us by means of conscience, &c.
(3) Holy examples. In these the will of God is drawn out in living characters.
(4) Warning examples of the evil consequences of overlooking His commands. These witness to us that it is perilous to forget the Divine will, and admonish us against doing so.
2. The design of God in reminding us of His commandments. That ye wander not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring; that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God. Recollection of the will of God must be followed by obedience to that will, or it will be worse than useless.
III. The grounds upon which God requires from us this recollection of and obedience to His commands.
1. His personal relation to us.
2. His gracious doings for us. (W. Jones.)
Remembrancers
How wonderful is what we call association! I hang some thought upon an object, and say, Whenever I come hither, ring for me as a bell of joy; and upon another I fasten an experience, saying to it, Toll to me of sadness; and to another, Give forth some bold, inspiring strain; and to another, Speak to me always of hope. And, thereafter, each thing, true to its nature, whether it be tree, or place, or rock, or house, or that which is therein, never forgets its lesson. Yea, and when we forget, they make us to remember, singing to us the notes which we had taught them. Thus the heart, though it may not dismember itself, to give a soul to the material world, has yet a power half to create in physical things a soul in each for itself. So its life is written out, and it keeps a journal upon trees, upon hills, upon the face of heaven. Is it not for this, then, that in turn God has used every object in nature, every event in life, every function of society, every affection and endearment of human love, yea, and things that are not, the very silences of the world, and memories that are but disembodied events, to represent to us by association His nature and affections? Thus the heaven and the earth do speak of God, and the great natural world is but another Bible, which clasps and binds the written one; for nature and grace are one. Grace is the heart of the flower, and nature but its surrounding petals. (H. W. Beecher.)
Association
Thus a house becomes sacred. Every room has a thousand memories. Every door and window is clustered with associations. And when, after long years, we go back to the house of our infancy, faces look out upon us, and an invisible multitude stand in gate and portal to welcome us, and we hear airy voices speaking again the old words of our childhood. (H. W. Beecher.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v38 ribband of blue
ribband of blue
The ribband of blue. Blue, the heavenly colour, used upon the borders of the priests’ garments signified that the servants of God were to be heavenly in obedience and character, and separate from earthly ambitions and desires.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v37 The Fringes Of The Garments
The Fringes Of The Garments
v. 37. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
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v. 38. Speak unto the children of Israel and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments, blossomlike ornaments of twisted cords or tassels, in the four corners of the upper garment, which was used as a throw, or mantle, Deu 22:12, throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a riband of blue, fasten the tassels to the edge of the garment with a hyacinth-colored thread;
v. 39. and it shall be unto you for a fringe, a tassel, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them, and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a-whoring; they should not act according to the ideas suggested by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, for the result would surely be spiritual unfaithfulness;
v. 40. that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God. These tassels, which our Lord Jesus also wore in obedience to the Law, Mat 9:20; Luk 8:44, and which were to remind the wearer of all the provisions of God’s holy will, were made exceptionally large and conspicuous by the Pharisees, for they wanted to make the impression of unusual holiness, Mat 23:5.
v. 41. I am the Lord, your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord, your God. While the garments of the priests had a special symbolical meaning, yet these distinctive ornaments on the dress of all the Israelites served to remind them of the special relationship which existed between them and the Lord. This fellowship between the believers and the Lord is still more intimate in the New Testament, and they ought to keep this fact in mind at all times, even without special reminders.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv37, 40 the descendants of Israel
the descendants of Israel
"the people of Israel"
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to carry them out
"to obey them"
so that you do not look to your own heart and your own eyes
"Look to" here is a metaphor for think about. The heart represents what a person wants, and the eyes represent what a person sees and wants. AT: "so that you do not think about whatever you want" (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)
prostitute yourselves to them
Being unfaithful to God by choosing to do whatever they want is spoken of as if they were women who were unfaithful to their husband by choosing to have sinful relationships with other men. It can be stated clearly that this was a shameful thing to do. AT: "be shamefully unfaithful to me" or "do those things instead of obeying me" (See: Metaphor and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
descend
command
generation
sign
heart
prostitute
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v37 15:37-41 Had the Hebrews remembered their special relationship with…
15:37-41 Had the Hebrews remembered their special relationship with the Lord, they might have avoided the problems reported in Numbers. The tassels reminded Israel of their special relationship with a holy God and his demands. He had redeemed his people from Egypt, and in keeping with his call to covenant relationship with himself he expected them to observe the law (cp. Deut 6:6-9; Matt 9:20; 14:36; 23:5). • The color blue signified royalty and reflected God’s holiness.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.