Should Women Wear Pants? Commentary on Deuteronomy 22:5

I grew up in a very legalistic non-denominational Christian church. We couldn't wear jewelry, makeup, pants, hair extensions (without a hair condition), hair color, colored nail polish, stilettos, and no synthetic beauty products. I've shared videos on YouTube about how this lifestyle affected me and to this day I get negative comments from people who don't understand this scripture. Should women wear pants? Let's see what the Bible has to say about Deuteronomy 22:5.

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Deuteronomy 22:5 Explained

"A woman shall not wear a man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is utterly repulsive to the LORD your God."

What is the context of Deuteronomy 22?

This chapter is titled, "Various Laws". God was instructing Israel on their personal and social responsibilities as His people. God's desire was for His people to be set apart from the other nations, and so He had to set new rules and standards for them. These laws were for the good of Israel and strangers living among them. God's desire is always for a just and harmonious social order.

What other laws were established in this chapter?

In Deut. 22, God establishes marital laws, home safety, preservation of life, community care and responsibility, and prohibitions of mixing different kinds.

Now, back to Deuteronomy 22:5

In this verse, God says a woman shall not wear a man's garment and a man shall not wear a woman's garment and whoever does this is disgusting to Him.

Many have taken this verse very literally to mean that in any given society or era, women should not wear pants and men should not wear dresses and skirts. Let's take a step back into the time when this law was given.

Historical View of Garments

This was written around 1406 BC. Typical clothing in ancient biblical times were tunics, togas, girdles, cloaks, and sandals. The first account of pants dates to the 13th century in China and it was believed that they were worn to ride on horses.

In those times, there were distinctions between men's tunics and women's tunics. I believe it is pretty clear in any era what women wore and what men wore that distinguished them from each other.

Fast forward to 2025 and there is also a clear distinction in what belongs to a man and what belongs to a woman. Modern designers have designed women's pants for decades. Is God saying a woman cannot wear pants even if it's designed for women?

We must apply wisdom and biblical context when looking at Old Testament laws to command them to be followed today.

Why would God be disgusted at a woman for wearing women's pants? At that point, she is wearing a garment that belongs to females. This is clear in the design, they are usually pretty, tighter, more form-fitting, and lightweight. If a man puts on women's jeans, it would be very noticeable that something is off because women's jeans aren't made for a man's build.

It would also be very off if we saw a man wearing a skirt or a dress because we know these garments are only made for women. Again, wisdom, common sense, and biblical context are needed for these matters.

So what is the true issue here? What was God implying when He said men and women shouldn't wear each other's clothing?

The True Meaning of Deuteronomy 22:5

When God gave this law, the intent was to keep the genders He created distinct, unique, and in their proper order. God was against Israel and other nations blurring the lines between male and female.

In those times, nations like Canaan served other gods and one of them was named Asherah, the goddess of sex, fertility, and motherhood. This god and many others were the reason for strange lusts and prostitution in surrounding nations. Probably some of the first accounts of homosexual and transgender relationships. God was clear about how different, peculiar, and set apart He wanted Israel to be from these godless nations.

Our physicality is one of the primary ways people recognize our sex. If a woman is wearing an outfit made for a man, she would look like a tomboy and it could be confusing to determine what she is. We learn in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that God is not the author of confusion, He is the God of peace. The word peace also means order, structure, and stability.

In Genesis 1, God gave our world order and created us male and female in His image. Although we are equal as children of God, we are distinct in our roles and functions and this should be seen in how we carry ourselves.

The Problem with Christian Legalism

I mentioned earlier that I still get comments on my YouTube and it's usually from legalistic Christians condemning me for wearing pants. The problem with Christian legalism is that it adds or takes away from scripture. Many people take this verse literally and condemn other believers for wearing pants.

I always tell them, people are not going to hell for wearing pants. They are going to hell because they do not believe in the Son of God (John 3:18). You can wear skirts to your ankles but if your heart is still impure and hardened towards God, you're not going to Heaven either.

I was once that legalistic Christian who thought I was holier for wearing skirts and didn't even live a holy life. Whether you believe skirts are a better choice, that's your opinion and it cannot be used as a command to condemn other believers. We must love our neighbor and stop offending others with our matters of conscience. (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 10)

What Does the Bible Say About Our Clothing?

If anyone is going to judge us, they should judge us by how we uphold principles of modesty. The Bible doesn't give us specific clothing to avoid, however, we can look at scripture to help us determine what to wear.

Modesty is the biblical standard for choosing our clothes according to 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3 and various other scriptures.

Conclusion

Deuteronomy 22:5 is a law given by God to the Israelites to keep them from mixing and blurring the lines of male and female. Many laws and decrees God gave are now satisfied in Jesus Christ, such as the ceremonial laws. However, there are plenty of laws that we uphold today to preserve God's divine order in society.