Clothed with strength, clothed with beauty
Yahweh calls Zion from her sleep and excitedly orders her to get dressed (Isaiah 52:1). Like the call to “Awake! Awake!” the order to put on clothes is doubled:
Clothe yourself with strength, Zion.
Clothe yourself in garments of beauty, Jerusalem.
Two observations: First, the call to be clothed in strength is a call to be dressed as Yahweh Himself is dressed, for He “has clothed and girded Himself with strength” (Psalm 93:1). Zion puts on the armor of the Lord, which is to say, the armor that the Lord Himself wears (cf. Isaiah 59:17). But, second, this armor is a robe of beauty, like the garments of the priests: “garments of beauty” is bigdey tif’artek , just like the bigdey . . . lekavod ultif’aret of the high priest (Exodus 28:2, 40).
Strength and beauty go together (Psalm 96:6), and both are dimensions of priestly service, of liturgy.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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