4ĭuring the Hellenistic period, Tekhelet was translated invariably into "hyacinth," and in classical Greek, the hyacinth is the well-known flower Hyacinthus orientalis, native to Phoenicia. A seventh-century document describes dying with woad and madder 3 and a tassel found in the Dead Sea Cave of the Letters has been analyzed to be made from these plants as well. It is entirely possible that the dye was derived, as mentioned above, from plants. Identification, therefore, is challenging. Even more confusing is the fact that while they function as females, they retain the male sexual organs. But segregating the creatures according to the gender is not a simple task since the males experience sex reversal into females after one year of life. An interesting test showed that some murex yield blue and others yield purple the difference was related to the snail's gender (males produce blue, while female produce purple dyes). These experiments started in 1832 and continued to this day. Modern attempts to reproduce the dye from the Murex have mixed results. i Other scholars objected, since how could it be used in the holy Tempe while sea creatures other than fish were considered unclean by the ancient Israelites? These researchers claimed that the source of the dye was the indigo plant. It was abundant in ancient Phoenicia, today's modern Lebanon. For centuries, scholars thought it was a tiny sea snail, whose Latin name is Murex trunculus, also known as Hexaplex trunculus.
The Bible says it was derived from Hilazon. In Tyndale's 1529 English translation of the Bible, the word for Tekhelet is jacinth (meaning hyacinth) while the King James Version (1611) translated it as "blue." But in 1611 the word "blue" is known to be somewhat generic, including a wide range of hues ranging from blue to violet.įierce debate rages concerning the ancient source of the dye. In Christian art, the Virgin Mary often wears a blue mantle, and in divine appearances during visions, she invariably had at least some blue in her attire, such as a sash or trim, even when the mantle was white or gold. In Christian myths and legends, blue represents heaven, eternity, and truth. The color has been (and still is) highly valued for centuries in India, Tibet, and Nepal. In Buddhism, light blue stones such as turquoise are often used as personal protection amulets, and the "Blue Buddha," who is the Buddha of Medicine, is associated with the deep color of lapis lazuli. Pliny claims it was derived from the Murex snail. The Romans referred to Tekhelet by the name "hyacinthine purple," but since they left records of another color called "Tyrian purple" (which the Jews called "Argaman"), there is considerable confusion as to their origin. Some researchers believe that "sapphire" actually means lapis lazuli, but it is not certain the area has other blue and purple stones that could be mined and used for the same purposes. The Israelites favored jewelry made of sapphire which comes in several shades of blue. To these days, orthodox Jews still have these strings on the prayer shawls. Every man was ordered to attach a string colored with Tekhelet, called the Tzitzit, to the corner of his garment, as a constant reminder of the relationship between God and himself. The same styles were used later in Solomon's Temple. It is minutely described in the Bible 1 and details are given about using it in the Tabernacle in the desert, including the use in priestly clothes, covering for sacred vessels, and curtains, among other furnishings. Blue is often mentioned in the Bible as God's color - for example, the throne He sits on, and the pavement under His feet are made of sapphire. They also ground the precious stone for special dyes.įor the ancient Israelites, it was a holy color.
The gems ranged from intense blue with touches of gold which looked just like the night sky, to light blue that looked like the sea or the sky. A favorite stone was lapis lazuli, used for eyes in statues of their gods and also for personal decoration and jewelry. Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia valued the color. As it often happens, they are interconnected. The history and mythology of Tekhelet go very deeply into the past.
#Indigo color meaning bible full#
It may be the pale blue and pink of sunrise, the deep blue of mid-day, the touch of gold added in the afternoon, the mix of blue, lavender, and orange at sunset, or the night sky, dark blue and full of stars. The usual translation for the ancient Hebrew word Tekhelet is sky blue, azure blue, or cerulean blue, but the true meaning of the word is "the color of the sky." The sky is generally thought of as blue, but in reality, it has many colors.
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