Lexical Summary
riqmah: Embroidery, woven work, tapestry
Original Word:רִקְמָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:riqmah
Pronunciation:rik-MAH
Phonetic Spelling:(rik-maw')
KJV: broidered (work), divers colours, (raiment of) needlework (on both sides)
NASB:embroidered, embroidered work, embroidered cloth, embroidery, many colors, stones of various colors, various colors
Word Origin:[fromH7551 (רָקַם - weaver)]
1. variegation of color
2. specifically, embroidery
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
broidered work, divers colors, raiment of needlework on both sides
Fromraqam; variegation of color; specifically, embroidery -- broidered (work), divers colours, (raiment of) needlework (on both sides).
see HEBREWraqam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
raqamDefinitionvariegated stuff
NASB Translationembroidered (4), embroidered cloth (2), embroidered work (3), embroidery (1), many colors (1), stones of various colors (1), various colors (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(woven or embroidered); — absolute
Judges 5:30 +; suffix
Ezekiel 16:18, -
Ezekiel 26:16; dual
Judges 5:30; plural
Psalm 45:15; — (piece of)
variegated stuff,
Judges 5:30 (twice in verse), for garments
Ezekiel 16:10,13;
Ezekiel 27:16,24;
Psalm 45:15; explicitly,
Ezekiel 16:18;
Ezekiel 26:16; apparently =
variegated workEzekiel 27:7; figurative of variegated plumage
Ezekiel 17:3; of variegated stone
1 Chronicles 29:2.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scopeרִקְמָה refers to richly wrought, embroidered fabric—garments, hangings or decorative cloths produced with colored threads, beads or precious metals. It consistently conveys splendor, rarity and skilled workmanship.
Occurrences and Contexts
•Judges 5:30 – The mothers of Sisera’s troops imagine “a girl or two for each warrior—colorful garments as plunder… beautifully embroidered garments for my neck”. The loot prized by pagan warriors underscores how human glory quickly perishes under God’s judgment.
•1 Chronicles 29:2 – David dedicates “all kinds of onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and of various colors, and all sorts of fine stones and marble” along with embroidered work for the future temple, modeling voluntary, lavish giving for worship.
•Psalm 45:14 – The royal bride, a type of Messiah’s bride, is “led to the king in embroidered garments”, signifying honor granted by grace, not earned by the bride herself.
•Ezekiel 16:10, 13, 18 – The Lord clothes Jerusalem with “embroidered cloth,” yet she prostitutes those gifts to idols. Divine blessing misused turns into the ground of indictment.
•Ezekiel 17:3 – The allegorical eagle carries the cedar to “a land of merchants, set in a city of traders,” depicted with embroidered luxury, illustrating Judah’s political entanglements.
•Ezekiel 26:16; 27:7, 16, 24 – Tyre’s princes, sails, cargo and markets teem with embroidery; the prophet details such opulence to measure the depth of Tyre’s downfall.
Cultural and Historical Background
Embroidery in the Ancient Near East demanded rare dyes (notably Tyrian purple), imported linen and exceptional artistry, usually the work of skilled women (compareExodus 35:25-26). Finished pieces served kings, priests and wealthy merchants, while trade hubs like Tyre exported them widely (Ezekiel 27:24). Embroidered cloth often functioned as currency or tribute, amplifying its economic and diplomatic value.
Thematic Significance
1. Glory bestowed by God – Embroidery symbolizes the beauty and dignity God freely grants His people (Ezekiel 16:10;Psalm 45:14).
2. Stewardship and Worship – David’s temple preparations (1 Chronicles 29:2) reveal that artistic excellence belongs in corporate worship when consecrated to the Lord.
3. Vanity and Judgment – Sisera’s mother (Judges 5) and Tyre (Ezekiel 27) revel in embroidered finery that cannot save them; worldly splendor evaporates under divine wrath.
4. Covenant Fidelity – Jerusalem’s misuse of her God-given garments (Ezekiel 16) dramatizes spiritual adultery: blessings turned into instruments of idolatry invite severe discipline.
Spiritual Lessons and Ministry Applications
• God is the ultimate Source of beauty and creativity; believers are called to employ their gifts, including artistic skill, for His glory and the edification of the church.
• Material excellence in worship is legitimate when it expresses gratitude and reverence rather than ostentation.
• The church, depicted as the bride clothed by the King (Psalm 45; cf.Revelation 19:8), must remember that her adornment is the righteousness granted by Christ, not personal merit.
• Ministry to the affluent should include the warning that luxury without submission to God breeds pride and invites judgment.
Prophetic and Messianic Echoes
Psalm 45 merges the imagery of embroidered garments with a wedding that anticipates Messiah and His redeemed people. The costly beauty points forward to the robe of righteousness secured at the cross. Ezekiel’s oracles, by contrasting God-given embroidery with sin’s ruin, prepare the ground for the new covenant wherein hearts, not cloth, are embroidered by the Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33;2 Corinthians 3:3).
Summary
רִקְמָה threads through Scripture as a tangible token of beauty, honor and skilled devotion. Whether adorning a bride, outfitting a temple or lining a merchant ship, its appearance raises a perennial question: will God-given splendor be returned to Him in worship or squandered in self-indulgence? The faithful response recognizes every stitch as grace and every garment as a call to holiness.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּרִקְמָ֤ה ברקמה הָֽרִקְמָ֑ה הרקמה וְרִקְמָ֔ה וְרִקְמָ֗ה וְרִקְמָ֤ה ורקמה לִרְקָמוֹת֮ לרקמות רִקְמָ֑ה רִקְמָ֔ה רִקְמָתֵ֖ךְ רִקְמָתַ֖יִם רִקְמָתָ֖ם רקמה רקמתים רקמתך רקמתם bə·riq·māh berikMah bəriqmāh hā·riq·māh harikMah hāriqmāh lir·qā·mō·wṯ lirkamOt lirqāmōwṯ rikMah rikmaTam rikmaTayim rikmaTech riq·mā·ṯa·yim riq·mā·ṯām riq·mā·ṯêḵ riq·māh riqmāh riqmāṯām riqmāṯayim riqmāṯêḵ verikMah wə·riq·māh wəriqmāh
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