What the Bible Says About the Meaning of Purple

Scripture

¹ The Lord said to Moses,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.
³ This is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze,
⁴ blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair,
⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, and goatskins, acacia wood,
⁶ oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,
⁷ onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
⁸ And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
⁹ Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

Exodus 25:1-9

Exodus 26:1-14: ¹ “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.
² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size.
³ Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
⁴ And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set.
⁵ And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
⁶ And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
⁷ “And you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.”
⁸ The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size.
⁹ You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent.
¹⁰ And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
¹¹ And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole.
¹² And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
¹³ And the breadth of the court on the front of the house, eastward, shall be fifty cubits.
¹⁴ And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and a covering of goatskins on top.

Exodus 28:1-8: ¹ “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.”
² And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
³ You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.
⁴ These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.
⁵ They shall take the gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
⁶ “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.
⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together.
⁸ And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

Exodus 39:1-29: ¹ From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
² And he made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
³ They hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.
⁴ They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.
⁵ And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
⁶ And they set onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
⁷ And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
⁸ He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
⁹ It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.
¹⁰ And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;
¹¹ the bells and pomegranates, of gold between them around the hem of the robe.
¹² and the stones were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each according to its name, for the twelve tribes.
¹³ and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.
¹⁴ The stones were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each according to its name, for the twelve tribes.
¹⁵ They made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
¹⁶ They made the chains on the breastpiece at the two edges, like cords of gold.
¹⁷ They fastened the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
¹⁸ the turban of fine linen, the linen caps, and the ornate headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twined linen,
¹⁹ They made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
²⁰ They made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
²¹ And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²² They made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue,
²³ And there was an opening in the middle of the robe, like the opening of a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it would not tear.
²⁴ And they made on the hem of the robe pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
²⁵ They made bells of pure gold, and attached the bells between the pomegranates on the hem of the robe all around, between the pomegranates—
²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁷ And they made the coats of fine linen, woven work, for Aaron and his sons,
²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen,
²⁹ and a sash of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Judges 8:22-26: ²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
²³ Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”
²⁴ And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.
²⁵ And they said, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil.
²⁶ And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels.

2 Chronicles 2:1-7: ¹ Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself.
² And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them.
³ And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.
⁵ The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
⁶ But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?
⁷ Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants,

Esther 1:1-6: ¹ Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,
² in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel,
³ in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,
⁴ He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.
⁵ And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
⁶ There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones.

Esther 8:15-17: ¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.
¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor.
¹⁷ In every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

Proverbs 31:10-31: ¹⁰ An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
¹³ She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
¹⁴ She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
¹⁵ She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰ She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷ She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Song of Solomon 3:6-11: ⁶ What is that coming up from the wilderness, like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
⁷ Behold, it is the litter of Solomon! Around it are sixty mighty men, some of the mighty men of Israel.
⁸ Keep me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.
⁹ King Solomon made himself a carriage from the wood of Lebanon.
¹⁰ He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
¹¹ Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day of the gladness of his heart.

Jeremiah 10:1-9: ¹⁰ Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
² Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,
³ for the customs of the peoples are vanity.
⁴ They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
⁵ Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”
⁶ There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.
⁷ Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is none like you.
⁸ They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood!
⁹ Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz.

Ezekiel 27:1-7: ²⁷ The word of the Lord came to me:
² “Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre,”
³ and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God: “O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
⁴ Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.
⁵ They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
⁶ Of oaks of Bashan
they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines
from the coasts of Cyprus,
inlaid with ivory.
⁷ Your sail was of fine embroidered linen from Egypt so that it became your own sail.

Daniel 5:1-7: ¹ King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.
² Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
³ Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
⁴ They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
⁵ Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.
⁶ Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.
⁷ The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

Mark 15:16-20: ¹⁶ And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.
¹⁷ And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.
¹⁸ And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
¹⁹ And they struck his head with a reed and spat on him and knelt down in homage to him.
²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

Luke 16:19-31: ¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—
²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’

Acts 16:11-15: ¹¹ So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis,
¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.
¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Revelation 17:1-6: ¹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,
² with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”
³ And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.
⁴ The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
⁵ And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”
⁶ And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

Revelation 18:9-16: ⁹ And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
¹⁰ They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
¹¹ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,
¹² cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,
¹³ cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
¹⁴ The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!
¹⁵ The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
¹⁶ “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!”