{"id":91734,"date":"2025-11-01T16:27:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=91734"},"modified":"2025-11-01T16:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:27:38","slug":"should-we-use-the-old-testament-to-bind-covering-our-thighs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-we-use-the-old-testament-to-bind-covering-our-thighs\/","title":{"rendered":"Should we use the Old Testament to bind covering our thighs?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<h2>Question:<\/h2>\n<p>Good evening,<\/p>\n<p>Should we use Exodus 28:42 to bind covering our thighs all the way down to the knees?<\/p>\n<p>There has recently been controversy over whether the context of this verse provides a clear indication of what the Hebrew word <em>yarek<\/em> refers to. I&#8217;ve heard sermons from both sides, and I&#8217;m curious about your thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks.<\/p>\n\t<h2>Answer:<\/h2>\n<p>Exodus 28:42 is a part of the Old Testament laws for the priests. We are not under the Law of Moses, so it is not binding upon us. However, that is not why people cite this verse. The New Testament tells Christians to dress modestly (e.g. I Timothy 2:9), and we would like to define &#8220;modesty.&#8221; One aspect of modesty is &#8220;shamefastness&#8221; (having a sense of shame or embarrassment). That would include not exposing our nakedness. See &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-difference-between-principle-and-standard-and-how-does-this-apply-to-modesty\/\">What is the difference between principle and standard, and how does this apply to modesty?<\/a>&#8221; In the answer, there is a discussion of why &#8220;nakedness&#8221; can be defined by examining the Old Testament.<\/p>\n<p>The question of how much of the thigh needs to be covered is debated, but I prefer to stay with what God said. The exposure of the genitals, buttocks, loins, and thighs was considered nakedness; therefore, I keep those areas covered. See also &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/modest-dress\/\">Modest Dress<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Question: Good evening, Should we use Exodus 28:42 to bind covering our thighs all the way down to the knees? There has recently been controversy over whether the context of this verse provides a clear indication of what the Hebrew word yarek refers to. I&#8217;ve heard sermons from both sides, and I&#8217;m curious about your&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[208,366,365,206],"class_list":["post-91734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-clothing","tag-dress","tag-modesty","tag-nakedness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-difference-between-principle-and-standard-and-how-does-this-apply-to-modesty\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":0},"title":"What is the difference between principle and standard and how does this apply to modesty?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Could you\u00a0explain\u00a0the following for me, please? Basically, I would like for you to tell me what the difference between a \"principle\" and a \"standard\" is and give me your take on a sermon. The preacher is basically saying that Christians can't use the Old Testament to bind standards of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2742,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-long-were-the-priests-breeches\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":1},"title":"How long were the priests&#8217; breeches?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 14, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In one of your articles, you mentioned that\u00a0Exodus 28:42\u00a0means from the waist to and including the thighs. What is your source for this interpretation? Answer: \"And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs\" (Exodus 28:42). This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61941,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-length-pants-or-shorts-should-men-wear\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":2},"title":"What length pants or shorts should men wear?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I attend a church of Christ here in a small town. I had a question regarding modesty. I've studied tremendously on this topic and am still left with questions. Your articles are very sound and accurate so I figured you could help: Are shorts ok to wear that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18312,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-you-saying-that-some-societies-standards-of-dress-are-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":3},"title":"Are you saying that some societies&#8217; standards of dress are wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, I agree with you on modesty but was wondering what you would say in the case of societies like some in Africa where women are bare-chested as well as the men. Is this like the case similar to an ankle in the Victorian age or are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7415,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-wearing-pants-low\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":4},"title":"What does the Bible say about wearing pants low?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 9, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What do the Scriptures say about guys and girls wearing pants below their backside? Answer: You won't find a direct passage because the style of dress in biblical days is quite different from modern times. However, you can find numerous guidelines which help us understand what is and is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/sagging-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39589,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-possible-to-find-modest-swimwear\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":5},"title":"Is it possible to find modest swimwear?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: After reading many of your questions and answers on the subject of apparel, I am still confused a little bit. In one\u00a0article,\u00a0you stated, \"Nakedness is the exposure of the sexual organs. Any clothing that allows a view of these parts is considered equivalent to being naked.\" I agree with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91734\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}