Reference: Purple
American
The famous and costly Tyrian purple, the royal color of the ancients, is said to have been discovered by the Tyrian Hercules, whose dog having by chance eaten a shellfish called Purpura, and returning to his master with his lips tinged with a purple color, occasioned the discovery of this precious dye. Purple, however, is much more ancient than this, since we find it mentioned by Moses in several places. Two kinds of purple are mentioned in the Old Testament:
1. Argamon, rendered in our version "purple," denoting a reddish purple obtained from a species of muscle or shellfish found on the coasts of the Mediterranean.
2. Techieleth, rendered in the English Bible "blue." This was a bluish or cerulean purple, likewise obtained from another species of shellfish. The "scarlet" or "crimson," for the two words denote essentially the same color, was produced from the coccus in sect, coccus ilicis. All these were sacred colors among the Jews; and the latter was used for the highpriest's ephod, and for veils, ribbons, and cloths, Ex 26:1,4,31,36; 28:31; Nu 4:6-12; 15:38.
The "purple" of the ancients seems to have included many different tints derived originally from the shellfish, and modified by various arts in which the Tyrians excelled. As each fish yielded but a few drops of coloring matter, the choicest purple bore a very high price. Purple robes were worn by the kings and first magistrates of ancient Rome, and Nero forbade their use by his subjects under pain of death. Our Savior was clothed with a royal robe of purple, in mockery of his title, "The King of the Jews" Joh 19:2,5. Compare also Jg 8:26; Es 8:15; Pr 31:22; Da 5:7; Lu 16:19. Moses used much wool dyed of a crimson and used much wool dyed of a crimson and purple color in the work of the tabernacle, and in the ornaments of the high priest, Ex 25:4; 26:1,31,36; 39:1; 2Ch 3:14. The Babylonians also clothed their idols in robes of a purple and azure color, Jer 10:9; Eze 23:15; 27:7,16.
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and jacinth colour, scarlet, purple, bysse and goat's hair;
And thou shalt make a habitation with ten curtains of twined bysse, jacinth, scarlet and purple, and shalt make them with cherubims of broidered work.
And thou shalt make a habitation with ten curtains of twined bysse, jacinth, scarlet and purple, and shalt make them with cherubims of broidered work.
"Then shalt thou make loops of jacinth colour, along by the edge of the one curtain even in the selvedge of the coupling curtain. And likewise shalt thou make in the edge of the utmost curtain that is coupled therewith on the other side.
And thou shalt make a veil of jacinth, of scarlet, purple and twined bysse, and shalt make it of broidered work and full of cherubims.
And thou shalt make a veil of jacinth, of scarlet, purple and twined bysse, and shalt make it of broidered work and full of cherubims.
And thou shalt make a hanging for the door of the tabernacle: of jacinth, of scarlet, of purple and of twined bysse, wrought with needle work.
And thou shalt make a hanging for the door of the tabernacle: of jacinth, of scarlet, of purple and of twined bysse, wrought with needle work.
And thou shalt make the tunicle unto the ephod, altogether of jacinth.
And of the jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse, they made the vestments of ministration to do service in that holy place, and made the holy garments that pertained to Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.
and shall put thereon a covering of taxus' skins and shall spread a cloth that is altogether of jacinth, above all, and put the staves thereof in. And upon the shew-table, they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put thereon the dishes, spoons, flat pieces and pots to pour with, and the daily bread shall be thereon: read more. and they shall spread upon them a covering of purple, and cover the same with a covering of taxus' skins, and put the staves thereof in. And they shall take a cloth of jacinth and cover the candlestick of light and her lamps and her snuffers, and firepans, and all her oil vessels which they occupy about it, and shall put upon her and on all her instruments, a covering of taxus' skins, and put it upon staves. And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put on her staves. And they shall take all the things which they occupy to minister with in the holy place, and put a cloth of jacinth upon them and cover them with a covering of taxus' skins and put them on staves.
"Speak unto the children of Israel and bid them, that they make them guards upon the quarters of their garments throughout their generations, and let them make the guards of ribbons of Jacinth.
And the weight of the golden earrings was a thousand and seven hundred sicles of gold, beside brooches, ouches and garments of scarlet that were of the kings of Midian, and beside the chains, that were about their camels' necks.
As for Mordecai, he went out from the king in royal apparel of yellow and white, and with a great crown of gold, being arrayed with a garment of linen and purple, and the city of Susa rejoiced and was glad:
She maketh herself fair ornaments; her clothing is white silk and purple.
namely, wood; silver, which is brought out of Tarshish, and beaten to plates; and gold from Ophir, a work that is made with the hand of the craftsman and the caster, clothed with yellow silk and scarlet: even so is the work of their wise men altogether.
with fair girdles about them, and goodly bonnets upon their heads, looking all like princes after the manner of the Babylonians and Chaldeans in their own land, where they be born,
Thy sail was of white small needle work out of the land of Egypt, to hang upon thy mast: and thy hangings of yellow silk and purple, out of the Isles of Elishah.
The Syrians occupied with thee, because of thy divers works, and increased thy merchandise, with Smaragdus, with scarlet, with needle work, with white linen cloth, with silk and with Crystal.
Wherefore the king cried mightily, that they should bring him the charmers, Chaldeans, and the conjurers of devils. The king spake also to the wise men of Babylon, and said, "Whoso can read this writing, and show me the plain meaning thereof: shall be clothed with purple, have a chain of gold about his neck, and rule the third part of my kingdom."
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple, and fine bysse, and fared deliciously every day.
And the soldiers wound a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they did on him a purple garment,
Then came Jesus forth wearing a crown of thorns and a robe of purple. And Pilate said unto them, "Behold the man."
Fausets
argan. Obtained by the Tyrians from the shell fish Murex purpura, and Murex conchylium. (Ex 25:4; 35:25; Jg 8:26; Pr 31:22).
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and jacinth colour, scarlet, purple, bysse and goat's hair;
And all the women that were wise hearted to work with their hands, span; and brought the spun work, both of jacinth, scarlet, purple and bysse.
And the weight of the golden earrings was a thousand and seven hundred sicles of gold, beside brooches, ouches and garments of scarlet that were of the kings of Midian, and beside the chains, that were about their camels' necks.
She maketh herself fair ornaments; her clothing is white silk and purple.
Hastings
Morish
A colour often mentioned with blue and scarlet in connection with the tabernacle. Ex 25:4, etc. Among the spoils taken from the Midianites under Gideon was "purple raiment that was on the kings," and it is used as a symbol of royalty. Jg 8:26. In derision the soldiers put a crown of thorns and a 'purple' robe on the Lord, as king of the Jews. Mr 15:17,20; Joh 19:2,5. The rich man in Lu 16:19 was clothed in purple; and papal Rome is seen as a woman clothed in purple and scarlet, royalty and splendour. Re 17:4; 18:12,16.
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and jacinth colour, scarlet, purple, bysse and goat's hair;
And the weight of the golden earrings was a thousand and seven hundred sicles of gold, beside brooches, ouches and garments of scarlet that were of the kings of Midian, and beside the chains, that were about their camels' necks.
and they clothed him with purple, and they plaited a crown of thorns and crowned him withal;
And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out, to crucify him.
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple, and fine bysse, and fared deliciously every day.
And the soldiers wound a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they did on him a purple garment,
Then came Jesus forth wearing a crown of thorns and a robe of purple. And Pilate said unto them, "Behold the man."
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold, precious stone, and pearls, and had a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations, and filthiness of her fornication.
the ware of gold and silver, and precious stones, neither of pearl, and raynes, and purple, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron,
and saying, 'Alas alas, that great city, that was clothed in raynes, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stone, and pearls:
Watsons
PURPLE, ?????, Ex 25:4, &c; ???????, Mr 15:17,20; Lu 16:19; Joh 19:2,5; Re 17:4; 18:12,16. This is supposed to be the very precious colour extracted from the purpura or murex, a species of shell fish; and the same with the famous Tyrian dye, so costly, and so much celebrated in antiquity. The purple dye is called in 1 Macc. 4:23, "purple of the sea," or sea purple; it being the blood or juice of a turbinated shell fish, which the Jews call ?????. (See Scarlet.) Among the blessings pronounced by Moses upon the tribes of Israel, those of Zebulun and Issachar are, "They shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of the treasures hid in the sand," De 33:19. Jonathan Ben Uzziel explains the latter clause thus: "From the sand are produced looking glasses, and glass in general; the treasures, the method of finding and working which, was revealed to these tribes." Several ancient writers inform us, that there were havens in the coasts of the Zebulunites, in which the sand proper for making glass was found. The words of Tacitus are remarkable: "Et Belus amnis Judaico mari illabitur, circa ejus os lectae arenae admixto nitro in vitrum excoquuntur." "The river Belus falls into the Jewish sea, about whose mouth those sands mixed with nitre are collected, out of which glass is formed." But it seems much more natural to explain "the treasures hid in the sand," of those highly valuable murices and purpurae which were found on the sea coast, near the country of Zebulun and Issachar, and of which those tribes partook in common with their Heathen neighbours of Tyre, who rendered the curious dyes made from those shell fish so famous among the Romans by the names of Sarranum ostrum, Tyrii colores. In reference to the purple vestment, Lu 16:19, it may be observed that this was not appropriately a royal robe. In the earlier times it was the dress of any of high rank. Thus all the courtiers were styled by the historians purpurati. This colour is more properly crimson than purple; for the LXX, Josephus, and Philo, constantly use ???????? to express the Hebrew ?????, by which the Talmudists understood crimson; and that this Hebrew word expressed, not the Tyrian purple, but that brought to the city from another country, appears from Eze 27:7. The purple robe put on our Saviour, Joh 19:2,5, is explained by a Roman custom, the dressing of a person in the robes of state, as the investiture of office. Hence the robe brought by Herod's or the Roman soldiers, scoffingly, was as though it had been the pictae vestes usually sent by the Roman senate. In Ac 16:14, Lydia is said to be "a seller of purple." Mr. Harmer styles purple the most sublime of all earthly colours, having the gaudiness of red, of which it retains a shade, softened with the gravity of blue.
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and jacinth colour, scarlet, purple, bysse and goat's hair;
They shall call the people unto the hill, and there they shall offer offerings of righteousness. For they shall suck of the abundance of the sea and of treasure hid in the sand."
Thy sail was of white small needle work out of the land of Egypt, to hang upon thy mast: and thy hangings of yellow silk and purple, out of the Isles of Elishah.
and they clothed him with purple, and they plaited a crown of thorns and crowned him withal;
And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out, to crucify him.
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple, and fine bysse, and fared deliciously every day.
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple, and fine bysse, and fared deliciously every day.
And the soldiers wound a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they did on him a purple garment,
And the soldiers wound a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they did on him a purple garment,
Then came Jesus forth wearing a crown of thorns and a robe of purple. And Pilate said unto them, "Behold the man."
Then came Jesus forth wearing a crown of thorns and a robe of purple. And Pilate said unto them, "Behold the man."
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, gave us audience: whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which Paul spake.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold, precious stone, and pearls, and had a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations, and filthiness of her fornication.
the ware of gold and silver, and precious stones, neither of pearl, and raynes, and purple, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron,
and saying, 'Alas alas, that great city, that was clothed in raynes, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stone, and pearls: