You are to make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall make yourselves fringes on the four corners of your cloak with which you cover yourself.
- KJV Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
- NKJV “You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing with which you cover yourself.
- NASB “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself.
- NLT “You must put four tassels on the hem of the cloak with which you cover yourself—on the front, back, and sides.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israelites are to wear tassels on the four corners of their garments. These visible reminders called them to remember and obey God's commands.
Overview
The tassels (expanded in Num 15:38-39) served as constant visual reminders to keep the LORD's commandments and stay holy. They marked Israel as God's covenant people in daily life. The woman who touched the fringe of Jesus' garment (Matt 9:20) likely touched such a tassel, a sign of His faithful obedience to the law on our behalf.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Matt 23:5All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
- Num 15:37–41Later, the LORD said to Moses,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 22:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.