The Know 

In the Garden of Eden, God made “coats of skins” and gave them to Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:7, 10–11, 21). Interestingly, the Hebrew word for Adam and Eve’s coats, kutōneṯ, is the same word used for the coats made for Aaron and his sons as part of their initiation into priesthood at the temple in Exodus 28:4, 39–40. For this and other reasons, scholars have interpreted the Garden of Eden narrative in Genesis as depicting a temple or natural sanctuary.1

This kutōneṯ, the initial layer of clothing given to Aaron and his sons, covered the upper and middle parts of their bodies, extended to the legs, and could be covered by other apparel such as outer robes and ephods (aprons). The Hebrew of Exodus 28:39 may be rendered: “And thou shalt weave a shirt-like undergarment of fine white cloth.”2 In addition, God commanded that linen breeches (Hebrew miḵnās) be made for the priests to “cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs” (Exodus 28:42). The Bible indicates that priests were to wear these breeches when they came into the temple or approached the altar in the holy place and that they were to “bear not iniquity” (Exodus 28:43). While it is not said whether that undergarment was worn on other occasions, wearing it was necessary when serving in the temple, and the importance of covering one’s nakedness generally is emphasized often in the Old Testament.3

These initial clothes provided by God to Adam and Eve and to Aaron and his sons indicate that undergarments were an important part of the Lord’s symbolic instruction pertaining to temples and priesthood.

Although Abraham had been blessed that his seed more broadly would carry their “ministry and Priesthood unto all nations,”4 iniquity among the people at Mt. Sinai in Moses’s day caused the Lord to limit entrance into the priesthood to Aaron, his sons, and worthy men from the tribe of Levi.5 Exodus 29 shows how Aaron and his qualifying sons were initiated into the priesthood through temple rites such as washing, anointing, being covered in the initial garments mentioned above, and partaking of a simple sacrificial meal. Additional robes and apparel were put upon Aaron as the high priest.

In the meridian of time, Jesus and His Apostles opened the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods to all qualifying men, whether they had previously been Jews or Gentiles.6 Hebrews 5:4 indicates that they were to be called of God “as was Aaron” which can mean not only that the calling must come from God but that the manner in which Aaron was called be followed as well—namely a washing, anointing, and clothing, among other rites. It is known that early Christian communities engaged in such rites.7 Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 220 AD) explicitly connected the Christian initiation to Aaron: “After that we come up from the washing and are anointed with the blessed unction, following that ancient practice by which, ever since Aaron was anointed by Moses, there was a custom of anointing them for priesthood with oil out of a horn.”8

And likewise the Church of Jesus Christ, restored through Joseph Smith, offered an initiation through temple rites in the same manner “as was Aaron” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:59). The modern initiatory ordinances that Joseph Smith restored follow the example mentioned in the Bible, including an initial layer of clothing for covering nakedness that Joseph Smith called “the Garment of the Holy Priesthood,” to be worn by all endowed individuals at all times under one’s regular daily clothes.9 Additional priestly robes, worn as an outer layer of clothing, are also donned and worn during specific temple ceremonies and on other sacred occasions.10

These modern undergarments not only follow biblical precedent but also echo ancient patterns found in other cultures.11 For example, the earliest ancient Egyptian rituals included not just one but two clothing rituals: an initial rite of putting on an inner layer of simple linen and a later ritual of being dressed in outer apparel, which included robes, sandals, and other regalia.12 In some contexts, the simple linen garment was called štꜢ, meaning “a secret or hidden“ garment.13 According to John S. Thompson, the initial layer of clothing was associated with the goddess of weaving and linen, Ta’it, who was closely associated with the god of grain, Neper. For example, a text mentioning both gods states: “I gave bread to the hungry and clothes to the one who was naked. I was a son of Neper, the husband of Ta’it.”14 Giving bread to the hungry in the first line corresponds to Neper, the god of grain. Likewise, providing clothes for the naked in the first line corresponds to Ta’it, the goddess of weaving and linen. Clearly, this initial clothing rite, associated with Ta’it, relates to the idea of covering one’s nakedness. Moreover, as Thompson concludes, “the ancient Egyptians may have understood that the offering and reception of the linens of Ta’it were not just part of a preparatory purification for one’s ascension, but they were also a cultural reminder of certain character qualities one was to possess—namely being generous and thoughtful towards the poor and needy. Just as they were being clothed by a goddess, so should they clothe others.”15

Likewise, those initiated into the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism wore daily the sudreh (literally “good path”), a sacred undershirt, with the kustīg, a cord or girdle wrapped and tied around the waist. These items were considered a spiritual shield from evil powers and represented the need for good Humata, Hukhta, and Huvarshta (“thoughts,” “words,” and “deeds”).16 They marked commitment after initiation and were ritually tied and untied multiple times a day with ablutions and prayers as an act of rejecting evil and confirming one’s resolve to endure on the path of righteousness.17

Additionally, within Sikhism, the kachera or kaccha are short cotton undershorts worn as an everyday symbol of self-control, chastity, and readiness. And many observant Jews wear a tallit katan, a small, four-cornered garment (often worn under a shirt) bearing tzitzit fringes to “remember all the commandments” (Numbers 15:39). While this garment is not strictly underwear, it is commonly worn under outer clothing. Many more such purposeful uses of symbolic and sacred underclothing could be cited.

The Why

The examples found in the Bible and other ancient cultures as well as the practices of devoted members of other religious groups today provide many spiritual precedents and comparative insights into why Latter-day Saints wear temple garments under their outer clothes. First and foremost, like the Aaronic priests, they wear them to fulfill a commandment of the Lord—a covenantal obligation given by God and revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Wearing their special religious clothing out of public view as undergarments allows faithful Latter-day Saints to circulate in public places without wearing their religious robes conspicuously. This aligns with early Christian practice. As seen in several early sources discussed by Hugh Nibley, “the early Christians . . . did not wear special clothes in public,” though there are plentiful sources that indicate that they certainly had such clothing.18

The garments given to Adam and Eve and the Aaronic priests were simple in design and intended to cover their nakedness. Thus wearing garments today, helps men and women to remember to avoid extremes of extravagance and lewdness in their behavior and dress, prioritize things of eternal significance rather than trivial ones. It is one way to show gratitude to God for their bodies, which He made, with a commitment to keep them pure.

Most profoundly, the sacred temple garments symbolize Jesus Christ Himself. For example, Christian commentators suggest that the coats of skins given to Adam and Eve likely came from a sacrificed animal, drawing a symbolic tie to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For example, Matthew Henry’s classic commentary states,

The beasts whose skins they were must be slain. . . . It is supposed that they were slain, not for food, but for sacrifice, to typify the great sacrifice, which, in the latter end of the world, should be offered once for all. Thus, the first thing that died was a sacrifice, or Christ in a figure, who is therefore said to be the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.19

Likewise, as the Aaronic priest moved through the temple complex, he first encountered the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard, suggesting that putting on Christ’s sacrifice needed to come first before he can appropriately put on any other apparel as he moves closer to God.

Indeed, the Hebrew term for atonement (kāp̄ar) literally means “to coat” or “cover over.” So, by putting on temple garments, faithful people symbolically “put on Christ,” whose atoning sacrifice mercifully covers our otherwise naked exposure to the negative demands of God’s justice and judgment.20 This suggests that the various layers of clothing the priests and high priests wore corresponded to the degrees of progression within the temple itself.

A fourth-century Christian bishop, Cyril of Jerusalem, once observed, “Having been baptized in Christ and having put on Christ have been given the same form as the Son of God.”21 Being conformed to Christ is an important concept. Scriptures speak of believers having Christ’s image in their countenances and of bearing Christ’s name. Paul even speaks of bearing in his body “the marks of the Lord Jesus.”22 The ordinances of Christ’s church allow adherents to ritually participate in various events of Jesus Christ’s life, including His suffering, death, and resurrection, as are reflected in baptism, the sacrament, and the temple endowment.

So, for Latter-day Saints, putting on the garment is another way that one can metaphorically become Him, giving the wearer access to the blessings that Christ has received as a son and heir of God, becoming a joint heir with Him and bearing with Him the yoke of responsibility to serve and to help in bringing to pass the salvation and exaltation of all the world. It is a conscious reacceptance of Christ’s priesthood with all its duties, protection, and guidance. It is a daily reminder to be as He is, every hour of that day, in all places, and to live and minister to all people as followers and representatives of Jesus Christ. Wearing the undergarment reminds dedicated people every day to consecrate their all, even as Christ did for all, by standing in the service of God, of family, of neighbors, and of eternal brothers and sisters, by standing “as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death” (Mosiah 18:9).

As J. Anette Dennis has concluded,

Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of His Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us. . . . I believe that my willingness to wear the holy garment becomes my symbol to Him. It is my own personal sign to God, not a sign to others.23