In a society given over to luxurious profligacy and lustful promiscuity the Christian stands apart as a sojourner and pilgrim (cf. 1 Peter 2:11-12). Since our citizenship is in heaven we order ourselves by heaven’s decree (cf. Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:1-4, 17). While the worldly follow the rule of their hearts Christians sanctify Christ as Lord in theirs (cf. 1 Peter 3:15, NASB). The difference is not superficial but fundamental to the essence of our being. What is observed outwardly in word and deed with any individual is representative of their inner man (cf. Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:19-20). The child of Satan and the child of God can be identified by their activity (cf. 1 John 3:4-9). Paul simplified it, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Christ’s call to modesty is representative of the inner submission to the Lord with the inevitable and imperative agreement of the outward conduct (cf. 1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:1-6).¹ The Greek word for “modest,” kosmios, is defined as “orderly, i.e. decorous” (Strong). The root of the word is kosmos, which is the etymology of the English, cosmos, in reference to the universe as a well-ordered whole. The Christian’s inner man is ordered according to the pattern of Christ’s authority and example. This translates to our outward display of conduct.

Our outward apparel is included in modesty. Paul instructed, “that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel…which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Timothy 2:9-10). The language necessitates a standard. The idea of orderliness in modesty is inseparable from the standard for order revealed by Christ’s authority. The term, “proper,” implies a point of comparison, namely, a standard for Christian conduct. “Godliness” is “reverence for God or set of beliefs and practices relating to interest in God, piety, godliness,” (BDAG)² requiring a knowledge of His revelation. “Good works” are not ambiguous but prepared by God and revealed in Christ (cf. Ephesians 2:10). The way we dress is included.

In determining God’s standard for anything it is imperative that we echo the noble sentiment, “We must speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent” (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Peter 4:11). God’s word is the limited sphere in which we can assert truth and law (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). We must show integrity in our teaching and application of God’s word (cf. Titus 2:7). We must not ignore any part of scripture but appeal to the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts 20:27). We must not assign meaning to passages and words which are not original to the context or language. We must place full trust in nothing more and nothing less than the word of God.

Reexamining the Language Associated with Identified Lines in Modest Attire

It is vital that Christians appeal to the word of God to determine the pattern for modest attire. If the word of God presents evidence that certain parts of the human anatomy constitute shameful nakedness, then it is necessary for those professing godliness to cover those areas to dress modestly. This approach would not be limited to the scripture of the New Testament unless there was evidence suggesting that the nakedness of the human anatomy has changed from the beginning.³ For this reason, this author (Jeremiah Cox) has held the conviction that the thigh as the part of the human anatomy extending from the hip to the knee constitutes shameful nakedness which must be covered in totality in order for one to dress modestly. The following syllogism provides clarity:

1. Shameful nakedness must be covered to dress modestly.
2. The uncovered thigh is shameful nakedness.
3. The thigh must be fully covered to dress modestly.

The reasoning is logical but must be verified from one point to the next for the concluding statement to be valid. While this author (Jeremiah Cox) has held to the concluding point that a line of modest apparel includes the full coverage of the thigh from hip to knee, there is evidence within the language of scripture to suggest that such specificity is untenable.

Exodus 28:42 is a passage commonly cited to draw such a specific line for what constitutes modest apparel. The appeal is not to bind principles concerning the attire for priests on Christians today. Rather, the appeal is to the language connecting nakedness to the “thigh” – “make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs.” If the language translated “thigh” is a reference to what the English word specifically represents it is accurate to assert a line which extends from the hip to the knee in the discussion of modest apparel. However, the validity of such an argument necessarily hangs on the meaning behind the original language.⁴ Upon further investigation of the meaning of the language, it is the conviction of this author (Jeremiah Cox) that there is too much ambiguity attached to the word to justify binding a specific anatomical line at the knee in discussions of modest apparel based on the text of Exodus 28:42.

“Thigh” is a translation of the Hebrew word yarek. The word is used 34 times in 32 different verses in the Old Testament. 9 times the word is used in reference to a certain part or location of an inanimate object.⁵ It is used once in reference to the body part of an animal (cf. Ezekiel 24:4). The other 24 uses of yarek are either in direct or figurative reference to a part of the human anatomy. A consideration of various definitions given the word by lexical scholars combined with the contexts and usage of the word within scripture manifests a broader scope of meaning inherent in the word than assigned to it with the English word “thigh.”

• “the thigh (from its fleshy softness); by euphem. the generative parts” (Strong)
• “thigh, loin, side, base…(1b) thigh = loins, as seat of procreative power” (BDB)
• “(1) the fleshy part of the upper thigh…area of genitals, touched during uttering an oath” (HALOT)
• “Thigh, loin, side, base…The thigh stands for man’s foundation (e.g. “the place of girding on the sword” (cf. Jud 3:16, 21)) and for the source of life.” (TWOT)
• “in respect of the parts of the body usually clothed…also of the locality of the genital organs, and so by figure of speech to one’s offspring.” (New Bible Dictionary)

In multiple passages, yarek is used figuratively in reference to the generative parts of the human anatomy. For instance, it is translated “body” (NKJV) in Genesis 46:26 in reference to the people who came from Jacob. The figure of speech called synecdoche⁶ is used to refer to the generative parts of the body from which Jacob’s descendants came. In Exodus 1:5 the word is translated “descendants,” using the figure of speech called metonymy of the cause.⁷ I.e. the part of the body which is the cause of producing the descendants is put for the descendants themselves. On two unique occasions (cf. Genesis 24:2, 9; 47:29), yarek is the place touched while uttering an oath (see HALOT above). The significance of the unusual gesture can be appreciated when the importance of the seed of Abraham is considered (cf. Genesis 12:3). Abraham made his servant take an oath to choose a wife for Isaac from his family (cf. Genesis 24:1-4). In conjunction with the oath, the servant was to place his hand under Abraham’s yarek (translated “thigh,” NKJV). It is apparent when considering the context that yarek was in reference to the “area of genitals” (HALOT), i.e. the “loins, as seat of procreative power” (BDB). This is the case in reference to Joseph when he made the people swear to bury him with his fathers (cf. Genesis 47:29-30).

An interesting context in which yarek is found concerns the indication and consequence of a woman’s unfaithfulness to her husband in the book of Numbers. To determine her guilt the woman was put under oath and made to drink bitter water that brings a curse. The scripture reads, “may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach and make your belly swell and your thigh (yarek) rot” (Numbers 5:22). Some assume this is in reference to a miscarriage of an illegitimate child (TWOT). However, we can at least see the connection between her sexual infidelity and her yarek (i.e. her generative parts) rotting (“fall away,” ESV).

Yarek is also used in reference to the hip (cf. Genesis 32:25, 31, 32). It is translated “thigh” when being used in reference to where the sword is worn on the body (cf. Judges 3:16, 21; Psalm 45:3; Song of Solomon 3:8). However, that Ehud “girded [his sword] under his raiment upon his right thigh” (Judges 3:16, ASV) seems to indicate the area of the hip, or “man’s foundation (e.g. “the place of girding on the sword” (cf. Jud 3:16, 21))” (TWOT). “Girded” is a translation of the Hebrew hagar, which is the root of the noun hagor, or hagorah. This word is used for “coverings” which Adam and Eve made when they found out they were naked (cf. Genesis 3:7, “girdle, loin-covering, belt, loin-cloth, armour,” BDB). In other words, the area they covered is the area on which the sword was fastened – the man’s foundation, waist, hip.

The concluding statement of the syllogism offered above (“The thigh must be fully covered to dress modestly.”) rests on whether the word translated “thigh” in Exodus 28:42 means the area of the human anatomy ranging from the hip to the knee. The assertion requires unequivocal evidence. Can we confidently assert that yarek in the passage under consideration is in reference to the part of the body extending from the hip to the knee? What part of the context would exclude the areas of the body which are obviously referred to (generative parts, hip, etc.) by the same word in other contexts?

When the way in which we have used a passage is discovered to be inaccurate we have two options – we can either ignore the information we have discovered and continue to use the passage incorrectly, or we can correct our mistake. This article is an effort by the author (Jeremiah Cox) to do the latter. If we are speaking by faith (cf. Romans 10:17) we cannot assert that a line for modest apparel is drawn at the knee by using the passage and word under consideration.⁸

The Scriptural Standard of Modesty

The language of 1 Timothy 2:9-10 necessitates a standard. The word “modest” (kosmios) itself connotes orderliness, which requires order. God does not promote confusion (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:33). It is important that we handle God’s word accurately and avoid drawing lines and making statements which God has not made. However, we must not make the mistake of assuming the topic is a matter of pure subjectivity.

Are Christians free to use whichever words they please in conversation simply because God has not revealed a specific list of forbidden words? (cf. Matthew 12:34-35; Ephesians 4:29; 5:4; Colossians 3:8) Are Christians free to engage in the modern dance which has effectively polluted the minds and lives of so many simply because God has not specifically addressed such dancing? (cf. Romans 13:11-14; Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3) Can Christians justify giving little to the Lord in the weekly contribution because God has not specified an amount or percentage to be given? (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9)

Christians are not free to wear whatever they please simply because a specific line is not drawn at the knee. There is a scriptural standard of modesty which we all must submit to, and by which we will all be judged. We must dress in apparel which reflects “propriety and moderation,” and which “is proper for women (and all Christians, JC) professing godliness” (1 Timothy 2:9-10). Our dress must not conform to the world but be holy as God is holy (cf. Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:15-16). It is unwise to ignore the obvious intent of worldly dress to be ostentatious and sexually alluring. We must dress with consideration for others to avoid being the cause of their stumbling (cf. Matthew 5:27-30; 18:6-7). We must dress in such a way that honors marriage (cf. Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:3-4).

God has revealed principles for His people to adhere to in their daily lives. Christians make judgment calls every day which are directed by the mind of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16). The call to modesty requires us to look in the mirror of God’s word (cf. James 1:22-25) and then to look at ourselves in our mirrors at home to honestly determine whether our apparel is congruent with our profession of godliness.

Footnotes

¹ The subjects of these passages are women. However, it is indisputable that all areas of modesty are bound upon Christian men as well. The Greek word for “modest,” kosmios, is listed as a qualification for elders in 1 Timothy 3:2 – “of good behavior.”

² The word used by Paul for “godliness” in 1 Timothy 2:10 is theosebeia, used only there in the New Testament.

³ This is not to suggest that the Old Testament remains the standard for God’s people today. However, if the topic of discussion concerns immutable matters which remain constant from before the Old Testament up to and including the New Testament it is appropriate to appeal to such language as a guiding principle. I.e. if God says a part of the human anatomy constitutes shameful nakedness in the Old Testament scriptures it is logical to suggest that it remains shameful nakedness under the New Testament.

⁴ The Old Testament scriptures were written in the Hebrew language. While translations are generally a reliable representation of the original meaning there are circumstances which warrant a more careful investigation of the original language. Especially when the point under consideration relies specifically on the emphasis of a single word.

⁵ The “side” of the tabernacle or altar (cf. Exodus 40:22, 24; Leviticus 1:11; Numbers 3:29; etc.), or the “shaft”or “base” of the lampstand (cf. Exodus 25:31; 37:17; Numbers 8:4).

⁶ “a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.” (New Oxford American Dictionary)

⁷ “Metonymy is a figure by which one name or noun is used instead of another, to which it stands in a certain relation…Metonymy…I. Of the Cause…iii. The thing or action for the thing produced by it.” (Bullinger, 538-539)

⁸ The passage of Isaiah 47:2 has also been used to make the same point on modesty. The word translated “thigh” in the New King James Version is translated “leg” in other major translations (NASB, LSB, YLT, ASV, ESV, KJV). The word is different than the one which has been under consideration. It is the Hebrew soq. Lexicographers agree, and the uses in the Old Testament show, that when soq is used of a human being it refers to his lower leg, and when it is used of an animal it refers to the shoulder. It certainly is not used in reference to the “thigh” as the part of the body extending from the hip to the knee.

Sources

Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary, e-book, Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc, 2020

F. Wilbur Gingrich, et al. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Early Christian Literature, 3^rd. ed (BDAG), e-book, University of Chicago, 2024.

“Strongs H3409 – yārēḵ – Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon (kjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 May, 2025.

Ludwig Koehler, et al. Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HALOT), e-book, Brill, 2024.

Ed. Archer Jr., Gleason L, et al. TWOT, e-book, Moody Publishers, 2020.

Banwell, B.O. “THIGH.” New Bible Dictionary, e-book, Intervarsity Press (IVP) – UK, 2021.

Bullinger, E.W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1968.