What does Proverbs 27:26 mean by "lambs will provide you with clothing"? Canonical Text “The lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.” (Proverbs 27:26) Immediate Literary Context Proverbs 27:23–27 forms a single agrarian unit: • v. 23 – Know the condition of your flocks. • v. 24 – Riches are not forever. • v. 25 – After the hay is removed, new growth appears. • v. 26 – The lambs supply clothing. • v. 27 – Goat’s milk sustains your household. Solomon employs shepherding economics to illustrate prudent stewardship, contrasting durable provision with fleeting monetary wealth (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17). Historical-Agricultural Background 1. Wool production was the backbone of Israel’s cottage industry (2 Kings 3:4; cf. Mesha Stele, lines 6–7 documenting tribute of 100,000 lambs’ wool). 2. Egyptian tomb paintings (Beni-Hasan, Twelfth Dynasty) show Near-Eastern drop-spindles identical to those later unearthed at Tel Beersheba (Iron Age II), confirming the process Proverbs presupposes. 3. Shepherds sheared sheep annually (cf. Genesis 31:19, 38) during late spring, precisely when hay is removed and new grass appears (v. 25), linking seasonal cycles. Economic Logic of the Verse • Clothing was a costly, labor-intensive asset; wool garments were heirlooms (Job 31:20). • By retaining breeding lambs, a household secured renewable fiber, mitigating dependence on volatile silver (v. 24). • The paired clause “goats with the price of a field” clarifies that caprine herds could be liquidated for land, while ovine flocks supplied recurring textiles—diversified agrarian portfolio. Inter-Biblical Parallels • Genesis 3:21—Yahweh Himself fashions garments from skins, inaugurating the pattern of animal-derived covering. • Ezekiel 34:3 indicts false shepherds who “clothe yourselves with the wool”; Proverbs commends honorable use. • James 2:15–16 echoes the motif when urging practical provision of clothing. Typological & Theological Overtones Lamb imagery crescendos in the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29). As literal lambs provide external garments, the crucified-risen Lamb clothes believers with righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 7:14). The proverb’s earthly wisdom thus anticipates eschatological reality: God supplies both temporal and eternal covering. Practical Wisdom for Today 1. Steward Assets—Invest in renewable resources (skill sets, relationships, congregational discipleship) rather than transient luxuries. 2. Provide Tangibly—Parents emulate the shepherd: ensure literal clothing for dependents (1 Timothy 5:8). 3. Trust Divine Provision—As lambs reliably grow wool, the Creator faithfully sustains those who heed His counsel (Matthew 6:26, 33). Answer to the Core Question “Lambs will provide you with clothing” means that diligent care of one’s flock yields an ongoing, renewable source of wool for garments, illustrating the broader biblical principle that faithful stewardship of God-given resources results in lasting provision, pointing ultimately to the everlasting covering granted by the risen Christ. |
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