The teaching that it is wrong for
Christian women to wear pants is
based upon the following beliefs: 1) Deut 22:5 teaches that women
should not wear that which pertains
unto a man. 2) Pants pertain to a man because they
were not only exclusively invented for
men, but they also have historically
been worn only by men. 3) The Bible teaches separation of the
sexes and since there is so little
distinction between men’s and
women’s pants, they are essentially
unisex and therefore do not provide
adequate separation. The first assertion, which states that
Deuteronomy specifically forbids the
wearing of “that which pertaineth
unto a man,” deserves careful study.
As with the study of any scripture, it is
important to read the passage in context and examine the relevant
words and their meanings in the
original text. A reputable Bible
dictionary or lexicon can be an
invaluable aid. The phrase “that which pertaineth,” or
simply the word pertaineth in the King
James Version of the Bible, is
translated from the Hebrew word
keliy, which means “article, vessel, implement, or utensil.”1 Translators commonly render keliy as weapon,
armor or instrument in the Old
Testament. The word man, in both the
first and last part of Deut 22:5, is the
Hebrew word geber meaning “man,
strong man, or warrior (emphasizing strength or ability to fight).”2 It is important to note that this is not the
only word for man in Hebrew. Verse
13 of this very same chapter uses the
Hebrew word 'iysh, which is also
translated man and means just that –
“man, male (in contrast to woman, female).”3 It is apparent that Moses, when writing Deut 22:5, was quite
intentionally not talking about a man
in general, but a very specific kind of
man – namely, a warrior or soldier.
Considering this, perhaps a better
translation of this verse would be as follows: “The woman shall not put on [the
weapons/armor of a warrior], neither
shall a [warrior] put on a woman's
garment: for all that do so are
abomination unto the LORD thy God.