Bible Strands
Numbers 15:38
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout the generations to come they are to make for themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks to Moses, instructing him to address the Israelites. This directive occurs within a larger passage establishing regulations for the community.
The words — The Hebrew verb דַּבֵּר (da.Ber) translates to "speak," and צִצִת (tzi.Tzit) means "tassel[s]." The text explicitly commands the people to craft these tassels on their garment corners.
The thread — This instruction aligns with Deuteronomy 22:12, which also requires tassels on four-cornered cloaks. The practice appears later in Matthew 9:20, where a woman touches a garment fringe, and in Matthew 23:5, which records the Pharisees lengthening their tassels.
Why it lands — The text requires the Israelites to construct physical markers on their clothing for each generation. It demands a visible, habitual act that ties everyday attire to the remembrance and obedience of divine commandments.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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:
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 22:12 You are to make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
- Matthew 23:5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
- Matthew 9:20 Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak.
- Luke 8:44 She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.