Fig Leaves verse Coats of Skins


Justice
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Anyone see the symbolism between the fig leaves Adam and Eve used verse the coats of skin God made for them to cover their nakedness?

Someone pointed out something to me today that I hadn't thought about before.

In order to get the skins, to cover their nakedness, God had to shed the blood of an animal.

I'm curious to hear your comments.

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So are you suggesting that the coat of skins hides their nakedness/sinful state, much like Christ's atonement covers our nakedness/sinful state? Now I realize the atonement doesn't just slap a coat of pain on top of sins but symbolism and analogy can be taken too far.

Edited by Dravin
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In order to get the skins, to cover their nakedness, God had to shed the blood of an animal.

The scripture in Genesis does not say God sacrificed any animal. Ancient writings suggest they were made of tree barks, the Talmud talks about God using the skin the serpent left and other scholars talk about a change of "skin" from immortality to mortality, which one is it I don't know. There is a lot of symbolism and lots of theories.

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I posted the following last week under another thread

Yes...

I have no evidence to support the following, but I think that Adam and Eve actually did make their garments, under the direction of the Lord.

The Lord not only had to provide them with clothing but he had to instruct them on the basic necessities of life outside the Garden of Eden.

I believe that the Lord took Adam hunting and that they successfully acquired a deer or two. The lord then showed Adam how to, skin, slaughter, sacrifice and eventually consume and preserve the venison. Imagine how Adam's heart must have broke as he watched the life escape the animal that he had previously befriended and named. All the time realizing that the animals life had to sacrificed for his benefit so that he and his wife could have food and clothing, because he had transgressed the Lords command. Then the Lord told Adam that he had to perform sacrifice on a routine basis (Moses 5:6)... I imagine that Adam felt true remorse, and cried his eyes out.

I think that when Adam and the Lord returned to Eden after the successful hunting trip that the skins were turned over to the Lords eternal Wife and Eve. And that the Lord's Wife then showed Eve how to make the garment. Eve must have noticed who the skin came from and she no doubt shed some tears during the process as well.

And this back in May

They no doubt grew from childhood to adulthood during their stay in Eden. I believe that they were reared by Heavenly Parents whom educated them. For example they were taught how to tend a garden, build a structure, mine and work metals, general nutrition, medicine, reading and writing, music and the arts, and most importantly comandments and spiritual instruction. Essentially God prepared them fully for the fall that He knew would eventually occur. And even after the fall, He continued to instruct them. The verse (Moses 4:27 Unto Adam, and also unto his wife, did I, the Lord God, make coats of skins, and clothed them.) is a short statement that has lots of meaning. Prior to the fall nothing could die, but the fall changed this. All of creation became mortal. God taught Adam how to hunt. He instructed Adam on how to not only skin the animal, tan and prepare the leather, but He no doubt taught him how to slaughter the animal, cook the flesh, consume the meat, and preserve the remainder of the raw materials, etc. Imagine how this must have left an impression on Adam... Adam had befriended and named this animal while in the Garden. And he knew that his decision and actions had caused the change that required him to slaughter his friends so he could provide for his family.

Moses 4:13 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they had been naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons

The above scripture states that Adam and Eve sewed the fig-leaves. Sewing is a pretty complicated activity. You gotta have thread and a needle. This proves that Adam and Eve were not dilly dallying around in the Garden simply picking flowers and fruit...

Edited by mikbone
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I recently came across this Keepapitchinin post on the LDS custom of dressing the dead, and it alludes to the idea that Mormons wear their burial shrouds (garments) throughout their lifetime as a symbol of ultimate victory over death.

Which jibes with the idea of garments as a symbol of the introduction of death into the world. Which, in turn, parallels the use of the (green) apron as a symbol of the introduction of procreation--the ability to create new life--into the world.

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So are you suggesting that the coat of skins hides their nakedness/sinful state, much like Christ's atonement covers our nakedness/sinful state? Now I realize the atonement doesn't just slap a coat of pain on top of sins but symbolism and analogy can be taken too far.

Kind of.

I was thinking (possibly) how blood had to be spilled in order to make an acceptable covering.

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I was thinking of the Cain and Abel reference as well.

Thank you.

The fruit was not acceptable as a sacrifice, but the blood of animals was.

Kind of along the same lines.

The Mosaic law called for meal offerings that were basically flour and oil that was cooked into a cake (bread-stuff). So the offering of the fruit of the ground in and of itself does not make it an invalid offer. Cain's primary error was that he was making a sacrifice in obedience to satan's command - not the Lord's.

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Anyone see the symbolism between the fig leaves Adam and Eve used verse the coats of skin God made for them to cover their nakedness?

Someone pointed out something to me today that I hadn't thought about before.

In order to get the skins, to cover their nakedness, God had to shed the blood of an animal.

I'm curious to hear your comments.

The covering provided by the Lord is also a symbol of the atonement with the word choice. The hebrew word that keeps showing up as atone/atonement means "to cover". The seat of atonement (ark of the covenenant lid) was a seat of covering. So when the Lord covers Adam's nakedness, he symbollically shows that he will atone for Adam's transgression.

Compare this also with 2 Nephi 9 (a great chapter on the Atonement):

Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

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The Mosaic law called for meal offerings that were basically flour and oil that was cooked into a cake (bread-stuff). So the offering of the fruit of the ground in and of itself does not make it an invalid offer. Cain's primary error was that he was making a sacrifice in obedience to satan's command - not the Lord's.

Also consider the long-term effects of fig leaves vs. leather.

Eventually, the fig-leaves dry up and fragment, providing no cover at all. Also, the apron is the only article of temple clothing that lucifer instructs A&E to wear, also it is the only article of temple clothing that is not white.

HiJolly

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Here is a very interesting thought. Not sure where I heard it, but it was on a special (I think the History Channel) where they talked about what could possibly pass as the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

There is compelling evidence that the fruit was not actually an apple, but fig's. This is due to the fact that when Adam and Eve realized that they were naked, and that this fruit had opened their eyes to their own nakedness - they were ashamed and made clothing out of fig leaves. Why would they use Fig Leaves for their choice of clothing? Probably because they were at the tree, partook of the tree, and their eyes were open at the tree. Hence, the Fig Leaf aprons symbolizes the natural man, the fall, and the covering up of their sin.

This would make sense as why God would then remove the fig aprons from Adam and Eve and put upon them skins from an animal. We cover up our sins by attempting to hide them from God, and God covers our sins by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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Do you know what a fig leaf feels like? A garment made of fig leaves would be very scratchy and uncomfortable. A garment made of skins would be comfortable--and would last much longer than a garment made of leaves.

What Satan offers is much like a garment of figs: it is most uncomfortable while appearing glamorous. The Gospel is like the garment of skins: it is comfortable and enduring.

-----------

I probably shouldn't have stuck my oar in the water. One of the above posts explains this better than I did.

Edited by Daniel2020
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So is there any significance that modern garments are not made of animal skins? Were ancient garments made of animal skins? What about garments in the Jewish tradition? Are they required to be of a certain material? Seems to me, it is more like the sacrament. The bread and wine/water are symbolic, but the substance used to represent the body and blood are not important as long as they are used to glorify of God.

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i always assumed a fig leaf cause they are large and flexible , wouldn't need very many to cover up. most leaves around here are rather stiff, you try to shape them and they will just break... not to mention you would need an entire trees worth to even pretend to cover anything.

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  • 6 years later...
On 9/21/2010 at 7:39 PM, Justice said:

Anyone see the symbolism between the fig leaves Adam and Eve used verse the coats of skin God made for them to cover their nakedness?

Someone pointed out something to me today that I hadn't thought about before.

In order to get the skins, to cover their nakedness, God had to shed the blood of an animal.

I'm curious to hear your comments.

Yes, I agree. Because of their sin, an innocent life has to be taken by the shedding of blood. They were then 'clothed'.

Like forshadowing of what was to come

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On 2010-9-21 at 11:39 PM, Justice said:

Anyone see the symbolism between the fig leaves Adam and Eve used verse the coats of skin God made for them to cover their nakedness?

Someone pointed out something to me today that I hadn't thought about before.

In order to get the skins, to cover their nakedness, God had to shed the blood of an animal.

I'm curious to hear your comments.

We have symbolic and literal elements going on here:

The fig tree represents fertility, reason why they were fig leaves. When they ate the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve became fertile. 

The coat of skin was given to Adam and Eve to cover not only their physical nakedness but their spiritual nakedness as well. I strongly believe that a lamb (symbol of Christ) or two  had been slained to provide the  coats to our first parents.

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On 9/21/2010 at 10:39 PM, Justice said:

Anyone see the symbolism between the fig leaves Adam and Eve used verse the coats of skin God made for them to cover their nakedness?

Someone pointed out something to me today that I hadn't thought about before.

In order to get the skins, to cover their nakedness, God had to shed the blood of an animal.

I'm curious to hear your comments.

I've heard this as well. Whether death had formally entered the world or not at that time, the leaves, at least for a time, are still living (a new fig plant can be propagated from the severed leaf). The fig is also symbolic of fertility (having an abundance of seeds), which seems to address the idea that even though Adam and Eve would die, they would yet bring forth life (be fruitful and multiply).

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