SWADDLING CLOTHES.—The custom of wrapping the newborn infant in bands of cloth (σπαργανόω) has long prevailed, and still exists in the East. This treatment was supposed to make for the strengthening and proper growth of the back and limbs, as well as being convenient for carrying the child. The infant Jesus was not neglected in this particular, though laid in the manger (Luke 2:7; Luke 2:12); the absence of swaddling bands being regarded as a sign of extreme poverty or of neglect (cf. Ezekiel 16:4).
E. B. Pollard.