שמואל ב, פרק י״ג, פסוק י״ח

Tamar's royal clothing stands in stark contrast to the cruel humiliation she experiences as she is thrown into the street in disgrace. The vast gap between her high status and her sudden degradation is powerfully expressed through the very garments she wears. She is dressed in a special striped tunic, an elegant piece of clothing made of embroidered fabric pieces sewn together in alternating colors, with each stripe measuring the width of a hand [רלב״ג, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This luxurious item brings to mind the famous tunic Jacob once made for Joseph [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Such attire was the customary dress for the king's daughters [מצודת דוד], designed to project honor and reflect their elevated rank in society [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A subtle tension surrounds the exact nature of this clothing, as the narrative blends concepts that typically describe an undergarment with those meant for an outer robe. Some explain that in this specific case, there is no difference between the two; they describe the exact same item of clothing [מצודת דוד]. It was a royal robe fashioned in the style of a tunic, a well-known design during that era [רד״ק].

Others highlight the unique customs of the royal family to explain this dual nature. While ordinary women wore this type of striped tunic strictly as an undergarment, virgin princesses wore it specifically as an outer layer. Because of this distinct fashion, anyone who saw Tamar in the street would immediately recognize her royal identity. This public recognition only deepened her shame, as the sight of a princess wandering alone and degraded through the marketplaces was a profound public humiliation [אלשיך].

Alternatively, a different approach suggests that she was indeed wearing two completely separate garments. It was the practice of the king's daughters to drape an outer robe over their striped tunic. According to this understanding, Tamar's outer robe was stripped away during the assault. When the servant forced her out the door, she was left wearing only her inner tunic. This detail emphasizes the sheer magnitude of her disgrace. She was pushed into the street stripped of her protective royal robe, robbed of her dignity, and humiliated like the lowest member of society [מלבי״ם].