SHEEPSKIN (תַּ֫חַשׁ֒, H9391; μηλωτή, G3603, sheepskin). A simple garment made from the tanned pelt of sheep.

It may well be that the sheepskin, still an ordinary article of dress in the E, was the initial covering of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:21). It was the common dress of the prophets of Israel and this “hairy mantle” (Zech 13:4) was one of their distinctive marks. The Lord warned His followers against impostors who borrowed this dress when He said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Matt 7:15). The material was also used as covering for the Tabernacle (Num 4:25).