Genesis 3:21 Meaning and Explanation
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God clothes the couple with animal skins, providing covering beyond their own attempts.
The Context of Genesis 3:21
God mercifully provides substantial covering for the couple through animal skins.
What Does Genesis 3:21 Mean?
Though the couple sewed fig leaves to cover themselves, God provides a more permanent and substantial covering: coats of skins. These are animal skins, suggesting an animal had to die to provide this clothing. God's provision replaces and supersedes the couple's inadequate self-made coverings.
This act represents divine mercy and care even in the aftermath of judgment. God does not abandon the couple to shame and exposure. The provision of skins—requiring sacrifice—hints at a principle: right standing before God sometimes requires sacrifice and substitution, not human effort alone.
Genesis 3:21 in the Original Language
kuttoneth (כֻּתֹּנֶת), coats — a more substantial garment than the fig leaves; suggests durability and divine care
Frequently Asked Questions About Genesis 3:21
What does Genesis 3:21 mean?
God clothes the couple with animal skins, providing covering beyond their own attempts.
What is the context of Genesis 3:21?
God mercifully provides substantial covering for the couple through animal skins.