Why Does the Bible Say a Woman Shouldn’t Wear a Man’s Clothes?
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Our modern culture has further blurred or removed any lines between the sexes, at least in their mind. Current thinking allows for or celebrates certain self-identifications and expressions of what they call “gender,” from clothing to other behavior. These explorations become sacred and unchallengeable, even if questions are reasonable.
Orthodox Christianity urges a distinction between the sexes, even with something external like clothing. Biblically, women shouldn’t wear men’s clothes; men shouldn’t dress like women, either. Therefore, modern society views Jesus-followers and the church as ignorant and old-fashioned at best, an enemy that hates them at worst. As time goes on, more the latter.
For disciples of Christ, God calls us to stand for the truth in love, which often runs contrary to the current culture. Heaven will go against the ways of the world. Discussing the issue of women wearing men’s clothes, what is the Bible trying to communicate? Why is it love to understand God’s commands on this topic?
Where Does the Bible Talk about a Woman Wearing Man’s Clothes?
The Bible generally addresses clothing and sex distinctions in a few main places. The clearest happens in Deuteronomy 22:5. “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”
The Hebrew word for garment, keli gever, usually refers to a basic article of man’s clothing, which sometimes means military armor. The word abomination, in Hebrew, is to’evah, meaning a detestable or absolutely offensive thing to God. Often, the Old Testament would use this word for an act going against God’s design and intent. The command regarding clothing wasn’t about the items themselves but the underlying principle of blurring or removing the distinction between a man and woman. God called his people to honor his created order.
Moving to the New Testament, while not repeating the command specifically, Paul addresses the same ideas regarding distinctions between men and women. 1 Corinthians 11:3-15 teaches on the proper behavior in public worship, including differences between men and women, focusing on length of hair and head coverings. The apostle goes on to reveal the meaning behind the idea, maintaining God’s design and order, using head coverings for a broader point.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 encourages women to dress modestly and decently, not to draw attention to themselves. “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not adorning themselves with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” While not prohibiting certain clothing, it still guides women to humility and godly character instead of self-decoration with material things.
What Is the Basic Biblical Principle Behind These Verses?
To go back to the beginning, Genesis clearly states God created humanity as man and woman. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Distinctions between men and women aren’t only a cultural expression; God created these differences to work together, revealing the Lord’s image on earth. Removing those distinctions insults and mocks the very image of God.
Therefore, God first gave this command for his special, redeemed people of Israel to live within his blessed design, which was “very good.” The Mosaic Law called them to walk within God’s design and experience the abundant blessings resulting from obedience. This would show other nations the benefits of following God.
Second, the Lord gives the command to set his people apart from the nations around them, using the word “holy.” “Holy” (in Hebrew qadosh, Greek hagios) means set apart for a purpose or separate. Holiness begins with proper relationship and worship of the one true God, and then it extends out to acts and words, living in ways that reveal God’s nature and purpose.
For the Old Testament, the nation of Canaan experienced grave consequences for their many abominable practices, including sacrificing their children. People groups around the Promised Land participated in similar activities when worshipping their idols. While seemingly minor, God still uses the term “abomination” for removing the distinction between man and woman.
In the New Testament, Christians are no longer bound to the rituals of the Mosaic Law (Romans 6:14), but the new covenant still maintains the principle of living as a holy, set apart people (1 Peter 1:14-16). Paul specifically wrote regarding sex differences because he converted Gentiles out of Roman and Greek cultures. The apostle needed to make these things clear, not for legalism, but to honor God’s design and protect them from idolatry.
Living set apart for a purpose is a big idea, encompassing many facets, and while the idea of clothing and sex differences seems minute to us today, it’s clearly important to God. Even in the new covenant, we can’t be witnesses of God while rejecting his very image in us.
What Does Set Apart Mean for the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament times, clothing would hold symbolic and religious meaning. Neighboring people groups — like the Moabites and Assyrians — worshipped idols through fertility rites, temple prostitution, and rituals that sometimes blurred the differences between men and women. Cross-dressing often happened during these ceremonies. Men and women would switch garments to call out or honor fertility gods or goddesses like Ishtar or Asherah.
God’s command against cross-dressing would prevent Israel from copying the pagan rituals or adopting similar ones. When Israel followed this, they visibly rejected idolatrous worship going on in nations surrounding them.
The principle also protected order in the family and community, providing stability and meaning. God created male and female to fulfill the mission of having children, a pre-Fall redemptive model (Genesis 1:28). In his love, the Lord desired for his people to continue this model, including maintaining a difference between male and female in unity, both the distinction and joining together necessary for family to work.
What Does Set Apart Mean for the New Testament?
Greco-Roman society valued public appearance. Clothing symbolized sex and status. Men’s garments, like the toga virilis, signified citizenship and authority. Women would wear the stola, showcasing their modesty, marital status, and virtue. A woman wearing a man’s garment would dishonor the roles in society, causing confusion, and God isn’t a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).
At the same time, Roman religions and cults (like those for Cybele or Dionysus) would employ cross-dressing and sexual immorality in worship. Like the ancient cultures in the Old Testament, people would dress and act like the opposite sex in ceremonies for fertility and liberation, subverting traditional roles. Paul warned against these things, telling Christians not to conform to the worldly ways around them (Romans 12:2). The practical principles regarding clothing helped in this regard.
Like in the Old Testament, this both protected God’s people from idolatry and communicated to the world the blessings of living for Christ. The distinctions revealed the Christian faith in the goodness of God’s creation, one not influenced by a temporary culture but the unchangeable Word of God.
What Does This Mean for Christians Today?
Again, God’s Word still applies, in principle, and yet we must seek wisdom on how to live holy and set apart in our own time and age, like the Israelites and Christians from centuries earlier. Especially in the new covenant, we first understand the purpose and refuse to only police behavior. God’s heart was never about specific fashion trends but about properly expressing God through his created dual image, man and woman, distinct and unified.
In our time, the principle remains as vital as ever. Western culture grows more comfortable with cross-dressing and deliberately blurring or erasing lines between men and women, even celebrating it. From entertainment to fashion, the message declares no differences between the sexes exist. The lie is it’s all a cultural philosophy, meaningless. We’ve come to the point where standing against this means getting called awful names or even suffering violence.
When we uphold the beauty of God-created, biological sex distinctions (including clothing), we stand with the believers across history to bear witness to the “very good” truth of creation and God’s love. At the same time, we use wisdom. Today’s clothing isn’t as strictly divided as in ancient times, and we shouldn’t try to manufacture a legalistic standard (like women can’t wear pants, men can’t have long hair, etc.). Even still, we must be brave and remember to stand for truth, even when it is unpopular in our current era.
Standing Apart
As in all things, we must remember humility and love. The Spirit leads and reveals what people need to hear. Forcing a legalistic standard almost never works, as the Old Testament witness teaches us. We should always seek to bless, not curse, and refuse to insult or condemn. We don’t reject or fight against people. Instead, we simply call people to the love of God in Christ Jesus.
However, we shouldn’t accept the modern idea of love, celebrating these confusions. Today’s push toward erasing sex distinctions carries spiritual implications, connecting with a broader rebellion against God’s authority and the truth of the Word of God. It’s not love to participate in that.
By choosing to act according to God’s design, including “women not wearing men’s clothes,” we stand apart as a people of stability in a culture of confusion and anxiety.
Peace.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/francescoch
