Original Word: כְּסוּת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: kcuwth
Pronunciation: keh-SOOTH
Phonetic Spelling: (kes-ooth')
KJV: covering, raiment, vesture
NASB: covering, clothing, garment, vindication
Word Origin: [from H3680 (כָּסָה - covered)]

1. a cover (garment)
2. (figuratively) a veiling

covering, raiment, vesture

From kacah; a cover (garment); figuratively, a veiling -- covering, raiment, vesture.

see HEBREW kacah

Word Origin
from kasah
Definition
a covering
NASB Translation
clothing (1), covering (5), garment (1), vindication (1).

כְּסוּת noun feminine covering — ׳כ Genesis 20:16 3t.; suffix כְּסוּתְךָ Deuteronomy 22:12 3t. suffixes; —

1 covering, clothing Exodus 21:10; Exodus 22:26 (Covt. code), Deuteronomy 22:12; Job 24:7; Job 31:19; of שַׂק as clothing of heavens Isaiah 50:3 in figure

2 covering for concealment, of Abaddon, the subterranean abode of the dead Job 26:6; עֵינַיִם ׳כ, covering of the eyes Genesis 20:16 (so that they cannot see the wrong, figurative of a present offered in compensation for it; E).

Overview

כְּסוּת (kesuth) describes a covering—usually a cloak or garment—that protects, conceals, or honors. Across eight Old Testament occurrences the word moves from everyday clothing to legal protection, moral responsibility, and cosmic imagery, offering a unified testimony to God’s concern for both physical need and spiritual dignity.

Household and Marital Provision

Exodus 21:10 requires a husband who marries another wife not to diminish the first wife’s “food, clothing, or marital rights.” Here kesuth ranks with nourishment and conjugal intimacy as a non-negotiable provision, highlighting divine insistence that marriage safeguard a woman’s wellbeing.

Pledge Law and Compassion for the Poor

Exodus 22:27 commands the return of a neighbor’s cloak by sunset, “because that is his only covering… If he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate”. The cloak may secure a debt, but mercy outranks profit. Job echoes the principle: “Without clothing, they spend the night naked, with no covering against the cold” (Job 24:7). Job later protests his innocence of such cruelty: “if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak” (Job 31:19). These passages establish care for the vulnerable as a hallmark of righteousness.

Identity and Honor Restored

After misleading Abimelech, Abraham receives compensation that Abimelech calls “a covering… you are fully vindicated” (Genesis 20:16). The silver shields Sarah’s reputation, showing that kesuth can signify moral vindication. Scripture often portrays honor and righteousness as garments, preparing the theological soil for salvation imagery in later revelation.

Covenant Reminder through Dress

Deuteronomy 22:12 orders tassels on the four corners of the kesuth. The outer cloak thus becomes a moving billboard of covenant memory, echoing Numbers 15:37–41. Every swing of the garment reinforces Israel’s identity as God’s treasured people and calls them to daily obedience.

Cosmic Exposure and Divine Sovereignty

Job 26:6 declares, “Sheol is naked before Him, and Abaddon has no covering”, presenting a universe stripped before its Creator. By contrast, Isaiah 50:3 records God draping the heavens: “I clothe the heavens with darkness, and I make sackcloth their covering”. The Lord both removes and provides covering, underscoring His absolute authority over life, death, and judgment.

Ministry Applications

• Benevolence: The mandate to supply clothing to the poor remains a tangible expression of gospel love (cf. Matthew 25:36).
• Marriage Counseling: Exodus 21:10 frames marital neglect as covenant violation, reminding couples that biblical love supplies material and emotional “covering.”
• Discipleship: Tassels on the cloak invite modern parallels—visible reminders (Scripture cards, wearable symbols) that prompt continual obedience.
• Preaching Christ: Kesuth foreshadows the believer’s ultimate covering—“put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14), and “all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

Key References

Genesis 20:16; Exodus 21:10; Exodus 22:27; Deuteronomy 22:12; Job 24:7; Job 26:6; Job 31:19; Isaiah 50:3.

כְּ֝ס֗וּת כְּס֣וּת כְּסוּתְךָ֖ כְּסוּתָ֥הּ כְּסוּתָֽם׃ כְסוּתֹו֙ כסות כסותה כסותו כסותך כסותם׃ chesuTo kə·sū·ṯāh kə·sū·ṯām kə·sū·ṯə·ḵā ḵə·sū·ṯōw kə·sūṯ keSut kəsūṯ kesuTah kəsūṯāh kesuTam kəsūṯām kesuteCha kəsūṯəḵā ḵəsūṯōwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts