Clothing and body modification in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

Descriptions of clothing and body modification in the Hebrew Bible often communicate information about the wearers' identities, emotions, and changes of status. Dress studies is an interdisciplinary pursuit that has expanded greatly since the 1980s as part of a wider academic recognition that the human body is a primary site of cultural construction. Hebrew Bible scholars have increasingly recognized the value of this approach with regard to biblical texts and continue to explore its multifaceted dimensions. The studies to date include examinations of permanent body modifications in the Hebrew Bible: circumcision, scarification, tattooing, and piercing. Scholars have also analyzed temporary body modifications, such as styling or cutting the hair and applying cosmetics. Additionally, there are studies of the supplements added to the body, most notably clothing and jewelry. When examined in their social context, biblical descriptions of clothing and body modification reveal important information about the figures involved, the development of a narrative, and the ideologies of biblical writers.

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“…Deskripsi pakaian dan modifikasi tubuh sering kali menyampaikan informasi tentang identitas, emosi, dan perubahan status pemakainya. Studi pakaian adalah kajian interdisipliner yang telah berkembang pesat sejak 1980-an sebagai bagian dari pengakuan akademis yang lebih luas bahwa tubuh manusia adalah situs utama konstruksi budaya (Liebermann, 2021).…”