Sheepskin, the tanned hide of a sheep, holds significant historical and symbolic importance in biblical times. While the Bible does not explicitly mention "sheepskin" as a term, the use of animal skins, including those of sheep, is implied in various contexts throughout Scripture.

Biblical Context and Usage

In the ancient Near East, sheepskin was a valuable material used for clothing, tents, and writing materials. The process of tanning animal hides was well-known, and sheepskin was prized for its durability and warmth.

Clothing and Coverings

Sheepskin was commonly used for clothing, particularly in the form of cloaks or mantles. In the harsh climates of the biblical lands, the insulating properties of sheepskin provided necessary protection against the elements. The prophet Elijah is often depicted wearing a mantle, which could have been made from sheepskin, symbolizing his prophetic authority and ascetic lifestyle. In 2 Kings 1:8, Elijah is described as "a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist," which may suggest a garment made from animal skin.

Symbolism and Sacrifice

Sheepskin, as part of the broader category of animal skins, also carries symbolic weight in the context of sacrifice and atonement. In Genesis 3:21, after the fall of man, "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." This act of God providing garments of skin is often interpreted as the first instance of sacrifice, foreshadowing the sacrificial system that would be established under the Mosaic Law.

Writing Material

While not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, sheepskin was likely used as a writing material in the form of parchment. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, were written on parchment made from animal skins, including sheepskin. This use underscores the importance of sheepskin in the preservation and transmission of biblical texts.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, the use of animal skins, including sheepskin, is alluded to in the context of persecution and suffering. Hebrews 11:37 speaks of the faithful who "went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated." This reference highlights the humility and endurance of those who suffered for their faith, using sheepskin as a symbol of their trials and steadfastness.

Cultural and Historical Significance

In biblical times, sheepskin was not only a practical material but also a symbol of pastoral life and the agrarian society in which the Israelites lived. Sheep were central to the economy and religious practices, providing wool, meat, and skins. The imagery of sheep and shepherds permeates the Bible, with sheepskin serving as a tangible representation of this vital relationship.

In summary, while the term "sheepskin" is not directly mentioned in the Bible, its presence and significance are woven throughout the biblical narrative, reflecting its practical, symbolic, and spiritual roles in the lives of God's people.1. (n.) The skin of a sheep; or, leather prepared from it.

2. (n.) A diploma; -- so called because usually written or printed on parchment prepared from the skin of the sheep.

SHEEPSKIN

shep'-skin.

See BOTTLE; DRESS; RAMS' SKINS, etc.

3374. melote -- a sheepskin
... a sheepskin. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: melote Phonetic Spelling:
(may-lo-tay') Short Definition: a sheepskin Definition: a sheep's ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3374.htm - 6k

Of the Sheepskin and the Goatskin.
... Chapter VII. Of the Sheepskin and the Goatskin. ... [657] The melotes (melotes), a sheepskin
garment hanging down on one side, was the usual dress of monks. ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter vii of the sheepskin.htm

Elijah and the Widow's Son.
... Israel, was sitting in his house at Samaria, when suddenly there appeared before
him a wild-looking man, with long hair and a cape of woolly sheepskin on his ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/elijah and the widows son.htm

An Exhortation to virtue -- and Particularly Upon the Passage...
... Although the one had the purple, the other had the sheepskin, which was the more
venerable garment of the two; for that purple brought forth the grievous famine ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily viii an exhortation to.htm

And Nicodemus Rising Up, Stood in the Midst of the Counsel...
... of the holy book teaches us, holy Elias too was taken up into heaven, and Elis??us
cried out with a loud voice, and Elias threw his sheepskin over Elis??us ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of nicodemus /chapter 15 and nicodemus rising.htm

And Nicodemus Stood Up, and Stood Before the Sanhedrin...
... of the Holy Scriptures taught us, Helias also was taken up into heaven, and Eliss??us
cried out with a loud voice, and Helias threw his sheepskin upon Eliss??us ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of nicodemus /chapter 15 and nicodemus stood.htm

The Brachmans; their Mode of Life; Ideas of Deity; Different Sorts ...
... its correctness, however, and would render it thus: "...enveloped in a body extrinsic
to the divine essence, just as if one wore a sheepskin covering; but that ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxi the brachmans their mode.htm

But He, Knowing the Custom, and Fearing that his Body Would be ...
... To Athanasius the bishop give one sheepskin and the garment whereon I am laid,
which he himself gave me new, but which with me has grown old. ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/life of antony section 91.htm

How Wrong it is Considered for any one to Say that Anything ...
... seal, as we are well aware that they are in all respects stripped so bare that they
have nothing whatever except their shirt, cloak, shoes, sheepskin, and rush ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter xiii how wrong it.htm

Book vii. On the Useful or the Ordinary
... [Matt.25:27]. A pelt of sheepskin is the people; in the psalm: and let him descend
as rain upon a pelt of sheepskin. [Ps.71(72):6 Vulgate]. ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book vii on the useful.htm

Letter Lxxi. To Lucinius.
... naked. [2234] Elijah also when he was carried up in a chariot of fire to
heaven left his mantle of sheepskin on earth. [2235] Elisha ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxxi to lucinius.htm

Sheepskin
... prepared from the skin of the sheep. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
SHEEPSKIN. shep'-skin. See BOTTLE; DRESS; RAMS' SKINS, etc. ...
/s/sheepskin.htm - 6k

Mantle (35 Occurrences)
... (1.) Hebrews `addereth, a large over-garment. This word is used of Elijah's mantle
(1 Kings 19:13, 19; 2 Kings 2:8, 13, etc.), which was probably a sheepskin. ...
/m/mantle.htm - 21k

Chamois (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A soft leather made from the skin of the chamois, or from sheepskin, etc.; --
called also chamois leather, and chammy or shammy leather. See Shammy. ...
/c/chamois.htm - 9k

Skin (115 Occurrences)
... Septuagint translates 'addereth, "the mantle" of Elijah (1 Kings 19:13, 19 2 Kings
2:8, 13 f), with melote, ie "sheepskin," the word in He being derived from ...
/s/skin.htm - 44k

Split (36 Occurrences)
... by force; to divide in the direction of the grain layers; to rive; to cleave; as,
to split a piece of timber or a board; to split a gem; to split a sheepskin. ...
/s/split.htm - 19k

Sheepskins (7 Occurrences)

/s/sheepskins.htm - 8k

Sheep-shearing (1 Occurrence)
Sheep-shearing. Sheepshearing, Sheep-shearing. Sheepskin . Noah Webster's
Dictionary ... (See NIV). Sheepshearing, Sheep-shearing. Sheepskin . Reference Bible
/s/sheep-shearing.htm - 8k

Sponge (3 Occurrences)
... It consists of a cylinder of wood, covered with sheepskin with the wool on, or
cloth with a heavy looped nap, and having a handle, or staff. ...
/s/sponge.htm - 10k

Benhadad (24 Occurrences)
... that this Assyrian king in the 6th year of his reign (854 BC) had crossed the Tigris
and made his way across the Euphrates on boats of sheepskin into Syria to ...
/b/benhadad.htm - 28k

Agriculture
... see FOOD). The peasant's outer coat is still made of a tawed sheepskin
or woven of goats' hair or wool (see WEAVING). The various ...
/a/agriculture.htm - 27k

What is a mantle in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What was a shepherd in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Sheepskin: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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