ASL Dictionary of Religious Signs

Incarnate

Sign:

"Incarnate"

Incarnate

Synonyms:

Incarnation, Embodiment

Hand Shape:

"5" or open "B".

Motion:

Begin with both hands in "5" shape, palms together, right hand over left hand. Rotate them so that the left hand ends up on top of the right, palms still together (sign for "become"). Next tap fingers of both "5" hands to upper area of chest and then tap fingers to abdomen (sign for "body"). This is a compound sign that combines the signs for "become" and "body".

Note(s):

(Grammatical Note) You could also sign "become man" or "God become man", especially in the context of talking about Christ.

Variations:

variation 1

With hands in "I" shape, back of right hand touching palm of left hand with palms toward body and slightly upward, begin with hands close to body and move them outward in a slight arc (motion is similar to "birth" (See Variation 1). This sign is not familiar to any of our staff, and is probably a sign used more prominently within the Catholic church.

Definition:

The term "incarnate" refers to how God became a man in the form of Jesus. It means that Jesus is the full embodiment of God, or rather that He is God in human form.