Vestments, Sacred, Symbolism of

There are a number of symbols associated with sacred vestments (belonging to both ancient and modern temples).322 As President Boyd K. Packer explained, “[The clothing worn inside the temple] . . . has great symbolic meaning.”323 Each piece of clothing points to divine actions and attributes through a variety of symbols, which can be broadly classified into several groups, four of which are dealt with here:

(1) The investiture of special vestments signifies one of the gestures of approach. When we approach sacred space, we change from our daily, ordinary clothing into special, set-apart, and sacred vestments. Such a change makes us new persons and puts us on a higher spiritual level.

(2) The act of putting on sacred vestments is related to putting on Christ and His holiness. The physical act of putting on sacred clothing is symbolically related to the spiritual act of putting on Christ and His holiness. This idea is underscored through translations of “put on” in both the Old and New Testaments. In the book of Leviticus, the Hebrew verb lbsh (“to put on”) is used with various articles of sacred clothing, including linen garments, linen breeches, and the linen coat or tunic. For example, “The priest shall put on [lbsh] his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon [lbsh] his flesh” (Lev. 6:10; see also 16:4; 16:23–24, 32; 21:10).

For each of the passages of Leviticus listed above, the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew lbsh with Greek inflections of enduo (from whence comes the temple-related term “endow”). Paul used this same verb in several New Testament passages that pertain to Jesus Christ and His Atonement, baptism, God’s armor, and more.

Evidently, the act of putting on sacred vestments is related to putting on Christ and His holiness.

(3) Sacred vestments are associated with salvation, righteousness, glory, and strength. While putting on sacred vestments calls to mind putting on Christ and accepting His Atonement, being clothed in sacred vestments also has other symbols attached to it. In the following passages, note how salvation, righteousness, glory, and strength are positioned with the words clothed, linen, and garments:

  1. Glory. “Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty” (Ex. 28:2; see also Ex. 28:40); “I was clothed upon with glory; And I saw the Lord” (Moses 7:3–4); “They shall see me . . . clothed with power and great glory” (D&C 45:44); “Clothed in the brightness of his glory” (D&C 65:5).
  2. Strength. “Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion; clothe yourself with your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city” (Isa. 52:1, translation by author).

Men and women who worship in the temple who are clothed in sacred vestments are in actuality dressing themselves in salvation, righteousness, glory, and strength. Or, stated more forcefully, God gives salvation, righteousness, glory, and strength to those who wear sacred vestments.

Here are two examples of specific vestments that have symbolic values:

(a) The Sash (“Girdle”): God commanded priests and high priests when serving in the temple to wear sacred vestments, which included a sash (Hebrew: ’avnet; KJV “girdle”). The priest’s sash was white; the high priest’s sash was embroidered or woven, a colorful sash of blue, purple, and scarlet (see Ex. 38:29).

Representation of the high priest’s sash.

The Lord’s angels are sometimes depicted as wearing sashes. For example, the seven angels in the temple in heaven were “clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles [sashes]” (Rev. 15:6). The high rank of the angels is deduced from the golden girdles (or sashes) they wear, which are like that worn by Jesus Christ Himself (see Rev. 1:13). In addition, Daniel saw a heavenly being, a “man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz” (Dan. 10:5).

The temple sash is associated with strength, referring to spiritual rather than physical strength. One passage states, “I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle [sash]” (Isa. 22:21). And Psalm 18:32 reads, “It is God that girdeth me with strength” (see also Ps. 18:39; Prov. 31:17).

(b) Robes: Priestly officiants who served in the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple wore robes, which were designated “holy” and which were part of the assemblage of sacred vestments (Ex. 28:4). Also, those who dwell in the temple in heaven will be dressed in white robes, which are made white through the Lamb’s blood (see Rev. 7:9, 13, 14; see also 1 Ne. 12:10–11; Alma 5:21; Morm. 9:6).

The priestly robe could be interpreted to signify righteousness, or, more specifically, the righteousness of the person who wears it. Various scriptures refer to the “robe of righteousness.” Jacob spoke of the righteous “being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness” (2 Ne. 9:14). Isaiah rejoiced, saying, “God . . . hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10); also, “That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness” (D&C 109:76).

(4) Vestments and clothing sometimes symbolize the person who wears them. A number of scriptural passages contain symbolic implications that sacred vestments represent the wearer of the vestments or clothing. For example, the expression “keep your garments spotless” (Alma 7:25) suggests “keep yourself spotless,” and one who is “clothed with purity” and wears “the robe of righteousness” (2 Ne. 9:14) is one who is both pure and righteous. The term garments in the following passage symbolically refers to the person who wears them: “For there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins” (Alma 5:21). In other words, the redeemed person has to be washed, purified, and cleansed from all stain by the accepting the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

The following account of Joseph F. Smith reinforces the idea that the garments represent the person that wears them. While serving as a young missionary, Joseph F. Smith had a vision that provided him with great confidence. He wrote, “I was hurrying as fast as I could. . . . I turned aside quickly and went into the bath and washed myself clean. I opened up this little bundle that I had, and there was a pair of white, clean garments, . . . I put them on. Then I rushed to what appeared to be a great opening, or door. I knocked and the door opened, and the man who stood there was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He looked at me a little reprovingly, and the first words he said: ‘Joseph, you are late.’ Yet I took confidence and said:

“‘Yes, but I am clean—I am clean!’

“He clasped my hand and drew me in, then closed the great door.”324

There is a direct correlation in this account of Joseph F. Smith washing himself clean, putting on clean, white garments, and then informing the Prophet, “I am clean—I am clean!”

During a severe illness, Lorenzo Snow had a singular experience that pertains to being clothed at the Resurrection. He related the following vision: “My spirit seems to have left the world and introduced into that of [the temple of heaven]. I heard a voice calling me by name saying ‘he is worthy, he is worthy, take away his filthy garments.’ My cloths [clothes] were then taken off piece by piece and a voice said ‘let him be clothed, let him be clothed.’ Immediately I found a celestial body gradually growing upon me untill [until] at length I found myself crowned with all its glory and power.”325