Color

The Old Testament and New Testament do not have one exact word that means “color.” Although the word appears several times in English Bible translations, the original Hebrew and Greek words often have different meanings.

In the King James Version, the word most often translated as “color” literally means “eye.” In these passages, it usually refers to the appearance of something (Leviticus 13:55; Numbers 11:7; Proverbs 23:31; Ezekiel 1:4, 7, 16, 22, 27; 8:2; 10:9; Daniel 10:6). Only in Leviticus 13:55 is it translated “color” in the Revised Standard Version.

Other words translated as “color” in the Revised Standard Version refer to:

a person’s facial appearance (Daniel 5:6–10; 7:28),

cloth with several colors or patterns (Proverbs 7:16; Ezekiel 17:3; 27:24),

stones (1 Chronicles 29:2), and

breastplates (Revelation 9:17).

Some translations, including the Berean Standard Bible, describe Joseph’s robe as a “robe of many colors”(Genesis 37:3). They also describe Tamar’s clothing as a “robe of many colors” (2 Samuel 13:18–19). These garments may have been long robes with sleeves or richly decorated clothing. In both cases, the clothing showed that the person had a favored position.

In Acts 27:30, the King James Version uses the word “color” to translate a Greek word that means “pretense,” or an action meant to hide a person’s true purpose. The translators also added the word “color” in Revelation 17:4 to make the meaning clearer. In such uses, “color” refers to outward appearance rather than true character.

The Bible mentions many colors, but it rarely gives them special attention. It also seldom describes the natural colors of objects. The colors mentioned most often are colors made by people, especially dyes used for cloth.

The ancient Hebrews understood and described color differently from people in many Western cultures today. For this reason, it can be difficult to translate some Hebrew color words precisely. English Bible translations may use different words for the same Hebrew term. For consistency, this article follows the Berean Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Colors mentioned most often in the Old and New Testament are the following:

Crimson: A deep red color made from insects and used for valuable cloth and as a picture of sin.

Black: A dark color used for people, animals, the sky, and images of sadness or trouble.

Blue: A blue-purple dye made from mollusks and used in sacred and royal cloth.

Gray: A color mainly used in the Bible to describe old age and gray hair.

Green: A color that often describes fresh, healthy plants or things full of life.

Purple: A costly dye made from sea snails and often linked with wealth, power, and royalty.

Red: A color used for many natural objects and sometimes as a picture of sin.

Scarlet: A bright red dye made from insects and used for valuable cloth, worship, and images of sin.

White: A light color used for natural objects, clothing, purity, and cleansing from sin.

See also Cloth and Cloth Manufacturing; Dye, Dyeing, Dyer.