Original Word: ἱμάτιον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: himation
Pronunciation: hee-MAT-ee-on
Phonetic Spelling: (him-at'-ee-on)
KJV: apparel, cloke, clothes, garment, raiment, robe, vesture
NASB: garments, cloak, coats, garment, coat, robe, robes
Word Origin: [neuter of a presumed derivative of ennumi "to put on"]

1. a dress (inner or outer)

apparel, clothing, garment

Neuter of a presumed derivative of ennumi (to put on); a dress (inner or outer) -- apparel, cloke, clothes, garment, raiment, robe, vesture.

2440 himátion – a cloak; the outer garment worn over the 5509/xitōn ("the under-garment worn next to the skin").

[2440 /himátion ("a robe") was often made of wool with openings for the head and arms, and worn loosely over the 5509/xitōn ("the under-tunic").]

Word Origin
dim. form of heima (a garment)
Definition
an outer garment, a cloak, robe
NASB Translation
cloak (8), cloaks (1), clothes (1), clothing (2), coat (4), coats (8), dresses (1), garment (8), garments (18), outer garments (2), robe (4), robes (4).

STRONGS NT 2440: ἱμάτιον

ἱμάτιον, ἱματίου, τό (diminutive of ἱμα equivalent to εἷμα, an article of clothing, garment; and this from ἕννυμι to clothe, cf. German Hemd); (from Herodotus down); the Sept. mostly for בֶּגֶד, also for שִׂמְלָה, שַׂלְמָה, etc.;

1. a garment (of any sort): Matthew 9:16; Matthew 11:8 (R G L brackets; others omit; cf. Winers Grammar, 591 (550); Buttmann, 82 (72)); Mark 2:21; Mark 15:20; Luke 5:36; Luke 7:25; Hebrews 1:11; plural garments, i. e. the cloak or mantle and the tunic (cf. Winers Grammar, 176 (166); Buttmann, 24 (23)): Matthew 17:2; Matthew 24:18 (Rec.); ; John 19:23; Acts 7:58; James 5:2, etc.; to rend τά ἱμάτια (see διαρρήγνυμι), Matthew 26:65; Acts 14:14; Acts 22:23.

2. the upper garment, the cloak or mantle (which was thrown over the tunic, ὁ χιτών) (Rutherford, New Phryn., p. 22): Matthew 9:20; (xxiv. 18 L T Tr WH); Mark 5:2; Luke 8:44; John 19:2; Revelation 19:16; it is distinguished from the χιτών in Matthew 5:40; Luke 6:29; (cf. John 19:23); Acts 9:39. (Cf. Trench, § l.; BB. DD. under the word ; Edersheim, Jewish Social Life, chapter xiii.; especially 'Jesus the Messiah,' 1:620ff) ἱματισμός, ἱματισμοῦ, ὁ (ἱματίζω), clothing, apparel: universally, Luke 7:25; Acts 20:33; 1 Timothy 2:9; of the tunic, Matthew 27:35 Rec.; John 19:24; of the cloak or mantle, Luke 9:29. (The Sept.; Theophrastus, Polybius, Diodorus, Plutarch, Athen.) (Cf. Trench, § l.)

Overview

Strong’s Greek 2440 designates the outer garment commonly worn in the first-century Mediterranean world. The word appears sixty-one times across twenty books of the New Testament. In narrative, epistle, and apocalyptic passages it touches themes of worship, healing, humiliation, judgment, and eschatological hope. Through its varied contexts Scripture reveals how something as ordinary as clothing can proclaim the majesty of Christ, expose the vanity of worldly riches, and illustrate the covering of divine righteousness.

Clothing in Biblical Culture

In daily life the outer cloak served as protection from weather, a blanket at night, and a visible indicator of status. Mosaic Law guarded its sanctity (for example, Exodus 22:26-27), and prophets used it for dramatic sign-acts. The New Testament inherits this backdrop, making the garment a ready symbol for honor, ownership, and self-identity.

Garments as Markers of Identity and Honor

At the Transfiguration “His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2). The radiant cloak witnesses to the Son’s intrinsic glory; what had been veiled in ordinary fabric bursts forth in brilliance. Mark emphasizes the same truth: “His clothes became radiantly white—whiter than any launderer on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:3). The cloak here is not a mere accessory; it is a canvas on which heaven displays the purity and deity of Christ.

Expressions of Worship and Messianic Recognition

When Jesus enters Jerusalem, disciples “threw their cloaks over” the colt and “the people spread their cloaks on the road” (Luke 19:35-36; see also Matthew 21:7-8; Mark 11:7-8). Laying garments before a king recalls regal processions of the Old Testament (for example, 2 Kings 9:13). By sacrificing personal protection underfoot, the crowd proclaims Jesus as the promised Davidic ruler.

Instrument of Divine Power and Healing

Several miracles revolve around the tassel or fringe of Jesus’ cloak. The woman with the hemorrhage “came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak” (Matthew 9:20), saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed” (Mark 5:28). Power flows not from cloth but from the incarnate Savior; yet the garment becomes a point of contact for faith. Afterward “all who touched Him were healed” (Matthew 14:36; Mark 6:56), demonstrating the accessibility of grace to the humble.

Humility and Servanthood

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus “laid aside His outer garments” to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:4). After completing the task He “put on His outer garments” again and resumed His place (John 13:12). Removing the cloak—symbolic of status—underscores the voluntary nature of His descent from heavenly glory to servanthood. The act foreshadows the greater laying down of His life at the cross.

Suffering, Mockery, and Fulfillment of Prophecy

Roman soldiers strip, array, and re-clothe Jesus in mocking parody (Matthew 27:28-31; John 19:2, 5). At Golgotha “they divided His garments by casting lots” (Matthew 27:35), fulfilling Psalm 22:18. The outer robe the crowd once honored now becomes spoil for His executioners, highlighting the cost of redemption and the precise reliability of Scripture.

Apostolic Witness and Symbolic Actions

Believers’ garments feature in decisive moments of early church history. The witnesses against Stephen “laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58), marking Saul’s complicity in martyrdom. Paul later “shook the dust off his garments” before opponents in Corinth (Acts 18:6), a prophetic gesture of innocence and warning. In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas “tore their garments” in horror at attempted idol-worship (Acts 14:14). Such actions translate inward conviction into visible proclamation.

Warnings Against Worldly Wealth

James confronts the rich: “Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes” (James 5:2). Garments, often stored as portable wealth, testify against hoarding. Likewise Peter cautions women against ostentatious dress, urging “not outward adornment of hairstyles, gold, or clothes” (1 Peter 3:3). The fleeting nature of fabric exposes the greater value of a gentle and quiet spirit.

Promises of Purity and Victory

The glorified Christ counsels lukewarm Laodicea, “buy from Me… white garments, so that you will be clothed” (Revelation 3:18). Overcomers in Sardis “will walk with Me in white” (Revelation 3:4), and the elders around the throne are “dressed in white garments” (Revelation 4:4). White robes denote both cleansing through the Lamb’s blood and participation in His triumph. Conversely, vigilance is urged: “Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed” (Revelation 16:15).

Christological Images in Revelation and Hebrews

At His return the Rider on the white horse is “dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). The garment proclaims both the sacrifice that secures redemption and the judgment He brings. Hebrews quotes Psalm 102 to contrast the perishable creation with the unchanging Son: “You will roll them up like a robe… but You remain the same” (Hebrews 1:12). The cosmos itself is but a garment that the eternal Christ can fold away.

Theology of Covering and Righteousness

From the skins God provided Adam and Eve to the white robes of Revelation, clothing signifies covering of shame and impartation of status. In Christ the believer is “clothed” with righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) and “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:24). The outward garment in Strong’s 2440 thus becomes a living parable: what we could never weave for ourselves, God graciously provides in His Son.

Practical Reflections for Believers Today

1. Honor Christ as King by laying down personal prerogatives—just as the crowd surrendered their cloaks.
2. Approach Him in faith, believing that even the “hem of His garment” is sufficient for healing.
3. Embrace servanthood, following the Master who removed His robe to wash feet.
4. Hold material possessions lightly; moths still consume.
5. Pursue purity, keeping garments undefiled while awaiting the wedding supper of the Lamb.

ιματια ιμάτια ιμάτιά ιμάτία ίματιά ἱμάτια ἱμάτιά ιματιοις ιματίοις ἱματίοις ιματιον ιμάτιον ιμάτιόν ἱμάτιον ἱμάτιόν ιματιου ιματίου ἱματίου ιματιοφύλακος ιματιω ιματίω ἱματίῳ ιματιων ιματίων ἱματίων himatia himátia himátiá himatio himatiō himatíoi himatíōi himatiois himatíois himation himatiōn himatíon himatíōn himátion himátión himatiou himatíou imatia imatio imatiō imatiois imation imatiōn imatiouInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts