8516. tilbosheth

Lexical Summary

tilbosheth: Garment of shame, shameful clothing

Original Word: תַּלְבּשֶׁת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: talbosheth
Pronunciation: til-bo'-sheth
Phonetic Spelling: (tal-bo'-sheth)
KJV: clothing
NASB: clothing
Word Origin: [from H3847 (לָבַשׁ לָבֵשׁ - clothed)]

1. a garment

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

clothing

From labash; a garment -- clothing.

see HEBREW labash

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from labash
Definition
raiment
NASB Translation
clothing (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

תִּלְבּשֶׁת noun feminine raiment; — ׳וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בִּגְדֵי נָקָם ת Isaiah 59:17 and he put on garments of vengeance as raiment (of ׳י as champion of Israel).

Topical Lexicon

Term Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 8516, תַּלְבּשֶׁת (talbosheth), denotes specialized apparel—an outer garment or war dress donned for a decisive purpose. Its single biblical occurrence (Isaiah 59:17) pictures the LORD clothing Himself for judicial battle.

Biblical Usage

Isaiah 59:17 places the word within a fourfold ensemble: righteousness as a breastplate, salvation as a helmet, “garments of vengeance,” and zeal as a cloak. תַּלְבּשֶׁת parallels “garments of vengeance,” stressing that vengeance is not a passing emotion but a uniform deliberately assumed.

Divine Warrior Imagery

Isaiah’s Divine-Warrior motif (cf. Isaiah 42:13; 63:1-6; Habakkuk 3:3-15) frames the verse. The LORD looks upon pervasive injustice, then arms Himself:
• Identity—His attire reveals righteous Judge and mighty Savior.
• Authority—only covenant LORD can wear such garb.
• Intent—the war dress signals that judgment and deliverance are imminent.

Historical Background

Isaiah 59 addresses Judah’s moral collapse in the late eighth–early seventh centuries B.C. Social violence and spiritual blindness sever relationship with God. The prophet confesses national guilt, then announces that Yahweh will act because “His own arm brought Him salvation” (59:16). תַּלְבּשֶׁת evokes the layered tunics, leather or metal cuirasses, and flowing command cloaks familiar to ancient soldiers, but applied to the cosmic battlefield.

Theological Significance

1. Justice and Mercy United—The LORD wears both vengeance and salvation, holding retributive justice and gracious rescue together.
2. Covenant Faithfulness—By clothing Himself, God fulfills His promises without human aid.
3. Eschatological Hope—The scene anticipates Christ’s final victory (cf. Revelation 19:11-16), where the Messiah rides forth in judgment wearing a blood-dipped robe.

Connections to the New Testament

Paul echoes Isaiah 59:17 in exhorting believers to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:14-17). What only the LORD wears in Isaiah is, through union with Christ, supplied to every believer. Yet vengeance remains God’s prerogative (Romans 12:19); the church stands in righteousness and truth, awaiting the Lord’s vindication.

Practical Ministry Application

• Worship—Confidence that God actively confronts evil.
• Preaching—A vivid gospel picture: the Judge becomes the Savior.
• Counseling—Assurance for victims that divine vengeance is purposeful and certain.
• Discipleship—Motivation toward zeal: “be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

Related Old Testament Imagery

Isaiah 61:10 (garments of salvation); Isaiah 9:5 (garment rolled in blood); Isaiah 63:1-3 (garments red from Bozrah). These texts expand the clothing metaphor for God’s redemptive and judicial work, of which תַּלְבּשֶׁת in Isaiah 59:17 is a foundational expression.

Forms and Transliterations

תִּלְבֹּ֔שֶׁת תלבשת til·bō·šeṯ tilbōšeṯ tilBoshet

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 59:17
HEB: בִּגְדֵ֤י נָקָם֙ תִּלְבֹּ֔שֶׁת וַיַּ֥עַט כַּמְעִ֖יל
NAS: of vengeance for clothing And wrapped
KJV: of vengeance [for] clothing, and was clad
INT: garments of vengeance clothing and wrapped A mantle

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 8516
1 Occurrence

til·bō·šeṯ — 1 Occ.