04/06/2016
The Bible Study Site
Meaning of the color
Scarlet in the Bible
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Scarlet has symbolized wealth and power, both
politically and religiously, since ancient Bible
times.
This color, second only to purple, was a
status symbol in the mighty Roman Empire .
Officers in Rome's army wore cloaks dyed in it
as well as high-ranking non-military people.
The flag carried by the Crusaders during the
Middle Ages displayed a cross in this color.
Since the late 13th century Roman Cardinals,
who are high-level religious leaders in the
Catholic Church , use scarlet for their
ecclesiastical clothing. Scarlet plays a
prominent role both in the flag of the old
Soviet Union and on the modern flag of China.
Egyptians obtained Scarlet for dyeing from a shellfish while the Hebrews extracted it from
an insect that infests oak trees. The color is
so steadfast that it was one of the most difficult dyes to remove from clothing.
Biblical meaning of the color scarlet
In the King James Version Bible, the word
'scarlet' occurs fifty-two times, six of which
are in the New Testament. The Hebrew words
that together translate into this color's English
name are tola ( Strong's Concordance
) and shaniy ( ). The Greek
word in the New Testament is kokkinos
( ), which refers to the kernel shape of
the insect from which the color is extracted.
Its use in Scripture lends itself to symbolically
meaning royalty (Daniel 5:7,16, 29, Matthew
27:28, Mark 15:17, 20, John 19:2) or the he
power to rule like a king (Revelation 17:4). It
can also represent a person's sins and
sinfulness (Isaiah 1:18), prosperity (2Samuel
1:14, Proverbs 31:21, Lamentations 4:5,
Revelation 18:12, 16) or dedication to
opposing God (Revelation 17:3).
Scarlet was used extensively in God's
wilderness tabernacle built by Moses (Exodus
25:4, 26:1, 31, 36, 27:16, 28:5 - 8, 15, etc.). It was also commonly found not only in
Jerusalem's temple but also on the clothes
worn to serve in it. The color was an
important part of the Temple rites that
cleansed lepers (Leviticus 14) and in
ceremonies of purification (Numbers19:6). The
Bible also states that warriors wore clothes
colored in it (Nahum 2:3).
The book of Matthew states that Pontius
Pilate's soldiers placed a scarlet (Strong's
) colored robe on Jesus in order to
mock him (Matthew 27:28). The Gospels of
Mark (Mark 15:17, 20) and John (John 19:2,
5), however, using different Greek words than
Matthew ( and , respectively),
which states that the robe was purple.
The thread of destiny
In the 38th chapter of Genesis, we find a
curious event involving thread of the color
scarlet.
Briefly, a woman named Tamar , who was the
daughter-in-law of Judah (one of the sons of
Jacob), got pregnant through Judah by
pretending to be a harlot. When it came time
to give birth, Tamar's midwife discovered that
twins would be born. When one of the babies
stuck his hand out of the womb, and looked
like he would be the firstborn, the midwife tied
a scarlet thread around his hand. This thread
was to designate who was born first, as being
the firstborn male brought with it certain
birthright blessings and privileges. After
receiving the thread, the baby quickly pulled
his arm back in the womb! The other child to
be born, also a boy, then came out of the
womb completely! The child who had the
thread around his hand received the name
Zarah and his twin brother received the name
Pharez.
What is the meaning of all this? Judah was
destined, according to the dying prophecy of
Jacob, to be the royal tribe of Israel from
which rulers would arise (Genesis 49:8 - 10).
It is through Pharez's descendants (the child
literally born first) that not only King David is
born but also Jesus Christ as well!
By CEO: Scarlet Groups Ltd. (Rev. Clinton Awuni Eshun)
