Hebrew word · H1434

גְּדִלִים

gedilim

tassel

Twisted or braided threads; cords, tassels, festoons. It comes from a root meaning 'to twist, plait' (compare Arabic jadala, 'to twist or braid a rope'). It is a different root from the far more common gadal, 'to be great'. The word only appears in the plural.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) twisted threads, tassels, festoons

1a) tassels (on clothes)

1b) festoons (on capitals of columns)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Deuteronomy 22:12

Range of meaning

Twisted or braided threads; cords, tassels, festoons. It comes from a root meaning 'to twist, plait' (compare Arabic jadala, 'to twist or braid a rope'). It is a different root from the far more common gadal, 'to be great'. The word only appears in the plural.

Against the English

KJV and WEB say 'fringes'; BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB say 'tassels'. 'Tassels' is closer: the picture is a bundle of twisted cords hanging from each corner. 'Fringes' suggests a decorative edge running all along the hem.

How it drifted

In 1611 'fringe' could still mean hanging threads in general. Today it mostly calls up the trimmed edge of a rug, curtain or shawl, which is not the picture here.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 7:17 it names the gedilim 'of chain-work' decorating the bronze capitals of the temple pillars Jachin and Boaz: twisted, wreath-like ornament. The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation) renders Deut 22:12 with strepta, 'twisted things'. The parallel law in Numbers 15:38–39 uses a different word, tsitsit, 'tassel' or 'lock', and adds a cord of blue-violet (petil tekhelet). Wool tassels and blue-dyed wool turned up among the 2nd-century CE textiles in the Cave of Letters near the Dead Sea (Yadin), which shows the practice was concrete and physical.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 22:12 גְּדִלִ֖ים tassels

    You are to make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.

    Here: Cords made by twisting threads together, hanging as tassels. It is placed first in the Hebrew sentence, so the tassels are the point being stressed: 'Tassels: you are to make them.'

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 7:17 גְּדִלִים֙ festoons

    For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork, seven for each capital.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.