Greek word · G729
ἄρραφος
arraphos
seamless
'Unsewn, without seam' (from a- 'not' + rhaptō 'to sew'). A technical clothing term that is rare in literature and occurs only here in the New Testament.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
'Unsewn, without seam' (from a- 'not' + rhaptō 'to sew'). A technical clothing term that is rare in literature and occurs only here in the New Testament.
- Against the English
'Seamless' or 'without seam' is accurate in every major version.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The idea, though not this word, appears in Josephus's description of a high-priestly garment as 'not composed of two pieces sewn at the shoulders and sides, but one long woven garment' (Antiquities 3.161). Exod 28:32 (LXX) says the high priest's robe had a woven, reinforced neck opening 'so that it not be torn'.
Where it appears
John · 1
-
John 19:23 ἄραφος, seamless,
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
Here: 'Unstitched', having no sewn seam. This rare word appears only here in the New Testament. Many tunics were made from two woven panels sewn together; this one was not.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.