“Speak
to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue: and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all Yahweh’s commandments, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute;
Numbers 15:38-39
Numbers 15 [35.] Yahweh said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp.” All the congregation brought him outside of the camp, and stoned him to death with stones, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Numbers 15 [37.] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue: and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all Yahweh’s commandments, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute; that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Yahweh your God.”
Numbers 16 [1.] Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men. They rose up before Moses, with some of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much on yourself, since all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Yahweh is among them! Why do you lift yourselves up above Yahweh’s assembly?”
Meaning:
Numbers 15:38-39 gives Israel a simple, visible reminder of God’s law: fringes or tassels on the corners of their garments, each with a cord of blue. The command comes in the wilderness years, just after the account of a man who deliberately broke the Sabbath. Every time an Israelite dressed, walked or sat, the tassels would swing into view and say, “Remember the commandments, and do them.”
- Tassels and a Cord of Blue
The Hebrew word for these fringes is tzitzit. They were knotted threads hanging from the four corners of the outer cloak. One thread had to be blue. In the ancient world blue and purple dyes were extracted from sea snails and were extremely costly, the colours of kings and of the priests’ garments and the tabernacle curtains. A thread of blue on an ordinary farmer’s cloak was a reminder that the whole nation was called to be a kingdom of priests, holy to God.
Faithful Jews wear them to this day, usually on the prayer shawl. Jesus himself, as a law-keeping Jew, wore such fringes. In Mark’s Gospel the crowds at Gennesaret begged him “that they might touch just the fringe of his garment” (Mark 6:56), and the woman with the flow of blood reached out to touch his clothes (Mark 5:27-28).
- Look, Remember and Do
The tassels served three purposes: “that you may look on it, and remember all Yahweh’s commandments, and do them.” God knows how forgetful we are. Like the command to keep his words on the heart, to talk of them at home and on the road, and to bind them as signs (Deuteronomy 6:6-7), the fringes turned everyday life into a constant reminder of God’s word.
- Not Following Heart and Eyes
The command also warns: “that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes.” In the Old Testament, chasing other gods is often called playing the prostitute, because it is unfaithfulness to Israel’s covenant Husband. Sin often begins with what the eyes desire and the heart craves. John later warned against “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), and James describes how desire conceives and gives birth to sin (James 1:14-15).
The Significance of Numbers 15:38-39
- Reminders That Point to Obedience
Believers today do not wear tassels, but the principle remains. We need regular reminders of God’s word: Scripture memory, daily reading, worship and fellowship. The psalmist said he hid God’s word in his heart so that he might not sin (Psalm 119:11). The aim is not mere remembering but doing.
- From Outward Sign to Inward Change
Jesus criticised those who made their fringes long to impress others. An outward sign is worthless without a changed heart. The new covenant goes deeper: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The Spirit writes God’s law on the heart, and Jesus, whose fringe brought healing, gives the power to obey.
Cross-References:
Mark 6:56: "and begged him that they might touch just the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched him were made well." The sick reached for the fringe that Numbers 15 commanded.
Deuteronomy 6:6: "These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart;" God wants his commandments to shape the whole of daily life.
1 John 2:16: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s." The danger of following our own eyes is repeated in the New Testament.
Romans 12:2: "Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God." True holiness flows from an inward transformation.
Conclusion: Numbers 15:38-39 shows God’s kindness in giving his forgetful people a constant reminder of his word. The blue-corded tassels called Israel to look, remember and obey, and not to be led astray by their own hearts and eyes. Jesus wore them, and the sick who touched them were healed. Believers today are called to keep God’s word ever before them and to let it shape both heart and life.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible