כַּרְבְּלָא
a mantle
Definition
The Aramaic noun כַּרְבְּלָא (karbᵉlâʼ) refers to a specific type of outer garment or mantle. In its sole biblical occurrence in Daniel 3:21, it describes an item of clothing worn by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. The context suggests it was a distinct, identifiable piece of apparel, likely a cloak or robe of some official or ceremonial nature. While the KJV translates it as 'hat,' most modern scholars and translations understand it as a mantle, tunic, or robe, given the typical attire of the period and the parallel with other garments listed in the verse.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Daniel 3:21. It appears in a list of the garments worn by the three Jewish officials—their 'tunics, their mantles (כַּרְבְּלָא), their hats, and their other garments'—as they were bound and cast into the furnace. The usage is purely descriptive, serving to highlight the completeness of their attire as they faced execution, making their miraculous survival all the more dramatic.
Etymology
The word is of Aramaic origin, used in the Aramaic portions of the book of Daniel. It is derived from a verb corresponding to the Hebrew root כַּרְבֵּל (karbēl, H3736), which means to wrap or clothe. This connection suggests the core idea of a garment that is wrapped around the body. Its precise derivation beyond this is uncertain, as it is a rare term even in extrabiblical Aramaic.
Semantic Range
While the word itself is a mundane noun for a garment, its single use in Daniel 3 carries significant theological weight. The detailed listing of the garments, including the כַּרְבְּלָא, emphasizes that the three men were fully clothed in their official Babylonian regalia when God delivered them. This underscores a key theme: God's power to preserve His faithful servants completely, even in the midst of a judgment intended to consume them utterly. Their identities and positions were not stripped away; they were preserved intact through divine intervention.
In the context of the Babylonian court, such a mantle was likely a mark of high office or royal service. The detailed inventory of clothing in Daniel 3:21 indicates these were not ordinary clothes but the official, possibly luxurious, garments that signified their appointed status under King Nebuchadnezzar. The modern understanding of a 'hat' (per the KJV) is likely a mistranslation based on later interpretations; the original cultural context points to a robe or cloak, which was a common symbol of authority and rank in ancient Near Eastern courts.
לְבוּשׁ (lᵉḇûš, H3830) — a general term for clothing or garment. שִׂמְלָה (śimlâ, H8071) — a wrapper, mantle, or loose outer garment. מְעִיל (mᵉʿîl, H4598) — a robe or tunic, often of significance (e.g., the high priest's robe).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →