Sacred Garment: ὑφαντός (Strong’s G5307: hyphantos) Reveals Messiah’s Seamless Worth

Strong’s G5307: From hyphaino (to weave), hyphantos describes something woven throughout, specifically used of Jesus’ seamless tunic in John 19:23. Its technical craftsmanship symbolizes both the priestly nature of Messiah’s ministry and the unity of His person and work.

U- Unveiling the Word

The adjective ὑφαντός (hyphantos) carries profound symbolism in its single New Testament appearance, describing the seamless tunic worn by Jesus at His crucifixion. As a technical term for woven garments, particularly those woven from top to bottom without seams, it connects Jesus’ garment to the high priestly vestments of the Old Testament. This connection wasn’t lost on early church fathers, who saw in the seamless garment a symbol of both Christ’s deity and the unity of His church. The soldiers’ unwillingness to tear it pictures the indivisible nature of both Christ’s person and His church. Today, it continues to speak of the perfect unity of Christ’s person and work, as well as the intended unity of His body, the church.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: ὑφαντός, hyphantos, hoo-fan-TOS
• Detailed Pronunciation: hoo (as in “who”) – fan (as in “fan”) – TOS (as in “toss”)
• Part of Speech: Adjective

Etymology:
From ὑφαίνω (hyphaino) – to weave:

• Root word: ὑφαίνω – to weave
• -τός (-tos) – verbal adjective suffix indicating completed state

D – Defining Meanings

• Woven throughout
• Woven in one piece
• Seamlessly crafted

For compound words:
Not a compound word; derived from verb ὑφαίνω with adjectival suffix

Translation Options:

• “woven throughout” – Most precise technical description
• “seamless” – Common translation capturing the key feature
• “woven in one piece” – Explanatory translation

E – Exploring Similar Words

• πλεκτός (plektos, PLEK-tos) – plaited, braided
  See G4120
• διφθέρινος (dipherinos, di-THER-i-nos) – made of leather
  See G1193
• βύσσινος (byssinos, BUS-si-nos) – made of fine linen
  See G1039

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

As an adjective:

• Case: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative
• Number: Singular, Plural
• Gender: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter
• Declension: First/Second

Example forms:

• ὑφαντός (masculine nominative singular)
• ὑφαντή (feminine nominative singular)
• ὑφαντόν (neuter nominative/accusative singular)
• ὑφαντοῦ (masculine/neuter genitive singular)

Related words:

• Verb: ὑφαίνω (hyphaino) – to weave
• Noun: ὕφασμα (hyphasma) – woven fabric

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

Lexical study reveals ὑφαντός’s technical and symbolic significance. BDAG emphasizes its specialized use in describing high-quality garments. Thayer’s notes its connection to priestly garments in the Septuagint. LSJ documents its technical use in classical textile terminology. Vine’s highlights its symbolic significance in John’s Gospel. Moulton and Milligan cite papyri showing its use in describing valuable garments. Strong’s connects it to the concept of careful craftsmanship, while LEH notes its use in describing tabernacle and temple textiles. This evidence shows a term that bridges technical craft and spiritual symbolism.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First appearance:
John 19:23 “Now the coat was without seam, woven [ὑφαντός] from the top throughout.”

Additional References:
This is the only occurrence in the New Testament.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

The word ὑφαντός, in its single New Testament appearance, carries profound theological significance. It connects Jesus’ seamless garment to priestly vestments while symbolizing the perfect unity of His person and work. This word proclaims the good news by showing Christ as our perfect High Priest, whose unified nature and work cannot be divided. It reminds us that just as His garment was seamless, so should His church maintain the unity He died to establish.

D – Did You Know?

1. Such seamless garments were extremely valuable and typically worn by high priests.
2. The technical process of weaving such garments required exceptional skill.
3. Early church tradition saw this garment as symbolizing the unity of the church.

Strong’s G5307: From hyphaino (to weave), hyphantos describes something woven throughout, specifically used of Jesus’ seamless tunic in John 19:23. Its technical craftsmanship symbolizes both the priestly nature of Messiah’s ministry and the unity of His person and work.

Part of speech: Adjective

Tags: seamless-garment, weaving, priestly-garments, crucifixion, church-unity, christ’s-priesthood, craftsmanship, symbolism, john’s-gospel, messiah’s-tunic, high-priest, unity​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​