THE COLOR BLUE IN THE BIBLE

Readers of an artistic bent may have picked up on the fact that there is a paucity of colors mentioned in the Bible. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery states, “The Hebrew vocabulary for color was quite limited, with only three distinct color words [for blue, purple and scarlet].” In addition, of course, were words for black and white.

The problem comes in with an accurate definition of those Hebrew words. For example, the word tekelet, usually translated as “blue,” may, according to Brenner, refer to heliotrope, deep-sea blue, violet, or even green while Levine says it only applies to blue-green.

Alden counts 48 occurrences of tekelet in the Old Testament, with 42 of these describing the tabernacle, temple and priestly garments. In many of these examples, this word appears in combination with argaman (“purple”) and tola atsani (“scarlet”). Knight says, “Some scholars see the colors as those of the heavens from sunrise to sunset.” Or one could just point to the fact that these three were man-made colors expensive to manufacture, thus indicating the inherent value in whatever was dyed with them. Wenham, however, states, “Undoubtedly these colors had significance, but discovering what they signified is difficult.”

Interestingly, the three are always listed in the same order – blue, purple, and scarlet – perhaps indicating the relative symbolic importance of “blue.” Thus, Wenham says, “Undoubtedly these colors had significance, but discovering what they signified is difficult. Evidently blue marked out the holiest objects, those most closely associated with the presence of God, perhaps because blue is the color of heaven, God's real dwelling place.”

Ashley also notes the various places where the color blue appears in the Book of Numbers. He echoes Wenham when he states, “In none of these passages is the significance of the color made clear, perhaps it was common knowledge. In the Prophets and Writings the color blue seems to indicate power, riches, and royalty (as in the royal apparel of Esther 8:15; the clothing of idols in Jeremiah 10:7; and the valuable trade goods from Tyre in Ezekiel 27:7,24), but how far back this symbolism can be read is unknown...The very least that one can argue from all this is that the color blue marked something as important. It is likely that it was the mark of royalty. The king of Israel was Yahweh. The color blue therefore marked that which belonged especially to him.”

I believe the best description of the symbolism behind the color blue is expressed in The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: “In ancient thought the sky was believed to separate the place of the gods from the human realm. Therefore blue, the color of the sky, could appropriately suggest the boundary between God and his people and symbolize his majesty...Blue was the dominant color of the vestments of ancient Israel's high priest (Es 28). The high priest wore an outer garment of solid blue over the white robe of the priesthood. He was the boundary between human and divine realms, moving in both as he ministered in the Holy of Holies...Blue also separated the holy articles of the tabernacle from the people. When the tabernacle was dismantled and moved, solid blue cloths covered the ark f the covenant, the table of the presence, the golden lampstand and altar, and all of the tools used in the tabernacle (Num 4).”

Two specific passages in which “blue” figures are worth separate notice:

Exodus 28:33

Among the instructions for the vestments for use in the temple, the decorations along the hem of the robe of the ephod were to be pomegranates of the usual triad of blue, purple and scarlet. Due to the restriction against making images of anything on earth that would tempt people to worship it, there are no animal images within the temple. However, that same restriction apparently did not apply to images of plant matter.

Francis Schaeffer in his pamphlet titled “Art and the Bible” marks this particular example as very important. He says, “In nature, pomegranates are red, but these pomegranates are to be blue, purple and scarlet. Purple and scarlet could be natural changes in the growth of a pomegranate. But blue isn't. The implication is that there is freedom to make something which gets its impetus from nature but can be different from it and it too can be brought into the presence of God.” Thus, Schaeffer feels, rightly in my mind, that this passage blesses the concept of holy art which is non-representational. As a non-representational artist myself, I welcome this suggestion.

Numbers 15:37-41

Whereas most of the occasions when the color blue is mentioned involve a liturgical setting, this particular regulation applies to all Israelites. God tells Moses to inform the people that they are to make fringes on the corners of their garments with a single blue cord in each corner. It is supposed to remind them to keep the Lord's commandments. Various scholars have given their opinion regarding the symbolism of “blue” in this particular instance:

After Wenham explains that blue stands for royalty and divinity in the case of the temple decorations, he goes on to state, “No doubt it had a similar significance in the layman's tassel. The blue thread reminded him that he belonged to 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation' (Ex. 19:6).”

Stubbs: “The blue thread that was to be part of the four tassels on the corners of the outer garments had a priestly connotation...By wearing such materials, the Israelites understood that all of them took on priestly privileges and responsibilities: they were priestly people.”

But Ashley concludes, “The significance of this cord is hard to determine” as is its symbolism in the liturgical occurrences of “blue.”

I would like to conclude with an interesting speculation coming from the OT scholar Jacob Milgrom. He recalls the story in I Samuel 24 where David is hiding in a cave when Saul sheds his outer garment in order to relieve himself. David sneaks up behind him and cuts off one corner of his cloak, which according to law should contain a blue thread. Afterward, David is totally mortified by what he has done (v. 5), which has always appeared to me to be a drastic overreaction on David's part. But Milgrom speculates that perhaps the symbolism of the color blue has something to do with it. So, if one considers the opinion of Ashley and others that one symbolic use of this color refers to royalty, then perhaps David's horror at his action is due to his realization that he is thereby announcing his future supplanting of Saul as the king of Israel. It is certainly a suggestion worth serious consideration.