Bible Dictionary
BABYLONISH MANTLE
The Babylonish mantle was a costly garment from Shinar that Achan stole from Jericho’s spoil. Its embroidered or luxurious character helps explain why it was regarded as valuable, though its exact color and fabric are uncertain.
Definition
The Babylonish mantle was a valuable garment described in Joshua as a “mantle of Shinar.” Achan took it from the spoil of Jericho. Its precise color, material, and design are uncertain, though the descriptions suggest an embroidered or otherwise costly garment.
Biblical Usage
The mantle was one of the forbidden articles Achan concealed after taking spoil from Jericho. Its presence in his possession formed part of the offense recorded in Joshua.
Historical Background
Babylonia was known for producing embroidered and costly woven fabrics in varied forms, some of which were exported to distant markets. This background supports the account’s description of the garment as valuable, while later versions and traditions differed over its appearance.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>man'-tl (the King James Version Babylonish Garment): One of the articles taken by Achan from the spoil of Jericho (Jos 7:21). In the Hebrew "a mantle of Shinar." Entirely gratuitous is the suggested correction of Shinar to se`ar, making "a hairy mantle." The Greek has psilen poikilen, which Josephus apparently understood to mean "a royal garment all woven out of gold" (Ant., V, i, 10). The Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A. D.) calls it a "scarlet pallium," and some of the rabbinical traditions make it a purple robe. Such classical writers as Pliny and Martial speak of the weaving of embroidered stuffs as a famous industry of Babylonia. Many tablets that have been deciphered indicate that the industry was indeed widely extended, that its costly products were of great variety and that some of them were exported to distant markets; in fine, that the account in Joshua is characterized by great verisimilitude.</p><p>Willis J. Beecher</p>