S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

There are two passages in the Mosaic Law that forbid the wearing of different types of fabric; that is, the wearing of blended fabrics-those woven from two different materials. Leviticus 19:19 says...

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August 25 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Why does the Bible speak against wearing clothing made of different types of fabric?

The Bible, in Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:11, prohibits wearing garments made of mixed wool and linen (sometimes termed "linsey-woolsey"). These Old Testament laws were designed to keep Israel distinct, pure, and separated from the surrounding nations' practices. Most theologians consider this a ceremonial law that ceased to be binding under the New Covenant. 

Details Regarding the Prohibition

Specific Materials: While many translations mention "mixed fabrics," the original Hebrew law primarily forbids combining wool and linen.

The Prohibited Mix: "You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed" (Deuteronomy 22:11).

Context: This rule is part of a larger, broader "holiness code" that includes not mixing seeds in a field and not mating different types of animals.

Exceptions: Priestly garments sometimes combined these elements, suggesting the prohibition applied specifically to everyday wear or that it represented a set-apart material reserved for sacred purposes.

The concept of sha'atnez: Jewish law forbids sha'atnez – wearing garments of mixed wool and linen. This is mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible: It is written in Leviticus 19:19, where it is stated that "you shall not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material".

Leviticus 19: 19 ESV: "Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed: neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together."

That law helped distinguish Israel from the surrounding nations; it would have helped the Israelites be mindful of their separateness and distinctness as God's people under his Kingship. 

Regarding this, the Encyclopaedia Judaica (Jerusalem, 1973, Vol. 14, col. 1213) remarked: "The clothing of the priests was notably exempt from the prohibition of [sha·ʽat·nezʹ] [a garment of two sorts of thread,]. Exodus 28:6, 8, 15 and 39:29 prescribe that various pieces be made of linen and colored wool interwoven."

The people who were not priests were forbidden to "wear mixed stuff of wool and linen together."​—De 22:11; Le 19:19.

Conclusion

The Deuteronomy passage is more specific in its rule against wearing a wool-and-linen weave. The Leviticus passage gives the broader prohibition, forbidding the wearing of clothes woven from two different types of fabric. Leviticus does not specify what material is used. Wool and linen would have been the primary options for the ancient Israelite when making thread for weaving. Wool is animal-based.

The rule against wearing different types of fabric was not a moral law but a ceremonial one. There is nothing inherently wrong with weaving linen and wool together.

April 03 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report