Fleece

Fleece refers to the wool coat of a sheep, either while still on the animal or after shearing. The first-shorn fleece of each animal belonged by Mosaic law to the priests: "The first-fruits of your grain, of your wine and oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him" (Deuteronomy 18:4). Job's famous declaration of social righteousness includes clothing the poor with wool from his own flock (Job 31:20).

The most theologically memorable use of fleece in Scripture is Gideon's test (Judges 6:37-40). Before engaging the Midianite army, Gideon twice asked God for a confirming sign: first that a fleece laid on the threshing floor would be wet with dew while the ground remained dry, then that the fleece would remain dry while the ground was wet. God patiently granted both signs, accommodating Gideon's timidity. The "fleece" has since become a common expression for seeking divine confirmation through a specific test — though the episode is generally read as an accommodation to Gideon's weakness rather than a commended practice.