StrongerBible

himation

ἱμάτιον

GreekG2440“cloak, garment, ...”

Appears 63 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Mat 5:40Mat 9:16 (2×)Mat 9:20Mat 9:21Mat 11:8Mat 14:36Mat 17:2Mat 21:7Mat 21:8Mat 23:5Mat 24:18Mat 26:65Mat 27:31Mat 27:35 (2×)Mrk 2:21Mrk 5:27Mrk 5:28Mrk 5:30Mrk 6:56Mrk 9:3Mrk 10:50Mrk 11:7Mrk 11:8Mrk 13:16Mrk 15:20Mrk 15:24Luk 5:36 (2×)Luk 6:29Luk 7:25Luk 8:27Luk 8:44Luk 19:35Luk 19:36Luk 22:36Jhn 19:2Jhn 19:5Jhn 19:24Act 12:8Heb 1:11Heb 1:12Jas 5:21Pe 3:3Rev 3:5Rev 4:4
Root family
Word studyhee-MAH-tee-onnoun

What himation means

a garment: a piece of clothing, especially the loose outer robe worn over the tunic

TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintySettled

In the ancient Mediterranean world a person typically wore two layers: a tunic next to the body and a larger wrap thrown over it. This word names the outer wrap, and by extension a piece of clothing in general.

The two senses are really one idea seen up close and far off. Up close it is one specific item, the cloak or mantle that a person could draw around them, lay aside, throw off, or lose. Stepped back, especially when the word is plural, it simply means a person's clothes, their whole outfit.

Which sense is in view is usually clear from the scene. When the cloak is set against the tunic, or someone touches its edge or flings it off, the specific outer robe is meant. When people spread their clothes on the road or strip a man of his clothing, the general sense of garments is at work.

Nuances

1athe outer robe or cloak worn over the tunic; the specific wrap a person could lay aside, throw off, or grasp by its edge
Mat 5:40Mat 9:16 (2×)Mat 9:20Mat 9:21Mat 14:36Mat 24:18Mrk 2:21Mrk 5:27Mrk 5:28Mrk 5:30Mrk 6:56Mrk 10:50
1bclothing in general: a person's garments or apparel, usually in the plural
Mat 11:8Mat 17:2Mat 21:7Mat 21:8Mat 23:5Mat 26:65Mat 27:31Mat 27:35 (2×)Mrk 9:3Mrk 11:7Mrk 11:8Mrk 15:20

What scholars say about himation

Standard lexica treat ἱμάτιον as a single lemma with a general and a specific use: a piece of clothing or, in the plural, clothing/apparel collectively, and more narrowly the outer garment (cloak, mantle) worn over the χιτών (BDAG s.v. ἱμάτιον; LSJ s.v.). The pairing of ἱμάτιον with χιτών (Matt 5:40; Luke 6:29; John 19:23) and the gestures attached to it (touching its hem, casting it off, laying it aside) ground the specific outer-garment sense, while the frequent plural ἱμάτια for a person's clothing supports the general sense. In the Septuagint ἱμάτιον commonly renders Hebrew בֶּגֶד (clothing generally) and at times שִׂמְלָה (the outer wrap pledged and returned by nightfall, Exod 22:26-27). TDNT and EDNT note the social and legal weight of the outer garment in antiquity, since it doubled as a poor person's bedcovering and could not be permanently taken in pledge.

Sources

  • BDAG, s.v. ἱμάτιονlexicon
  • LSJ, s.v. ἱμάτιονlexicon
  • TDNT, vol. 2, s.v. ἱμάτιον (Kittel)theological-dictionary
  • EDNT, vol. 2, s.v. ἱμάτιονtheological-dictionary

AI-generated word study · claude-opus-4-8

All attested forms of ἱμάτιον

accusative n p

ἱμάτια, ἱμάτιά

Mat 21:7, Mat 21:8, Mat 26:65, Mat 27:31, Mat 27:35, Mat 27:35, Mrk 11:7, Mrk 11:8

accusative n s

ἱμάτιον, ἱμάτιόν

Mat 5:40, Mat 24:18, Mrk 2:21, Mrk 10:50, Mrk 13:16, Luk 5:36, Luk 6:29, Luk 8:27

genitive n s

ἱματίου

Mat 9:16, Mat 9:20, Mat 9:21, Mat 14:36, Mrk 5:27, Mrk 6:56, Luk 5:36, Luk 8:44

dative n p

ἱματίοις

Mat 11:8, Luk 7:25, Rev 3:5, Rev 4:4

genitive n p

ἱματίων

Mat 23:5, Mrk 5:28, Mrk 5:30, 1Pe 3:3

nominative n p

ἱμάτια

Mat 17:2, Mrk 9:3, Jas 5:2

dative n s

ἱματίῳ

Mat 9:16

nominative n s

ἱμάτιον

Heb 1:11