Topical Encyclopedia
Fabrics in the Bible are mentioned frequently, reflecting their importance in daily life, religious practices, and symbolism. The ancient Israelites, like other cultures of the time, used various types of fabrics for clothing, tents, and sacred purposes. The Bible provides insights into the materials, colors, and uses of fabrics, highlighting their significance in both practical and spiritual contexts.
Materials and Types1.
Linen: Linen was a highly valued fabric in biblical times, often associated with purity and holiness. It was made from flax and was used extensively in the construction of the Tabernacle and the garments of the priests.
Exodus 28:39 describes the priestly garments: "You are to weave the tunic with fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion the sash with embroidery."
2.
Wool: Wool was another common fabric, derived from sheep. It was used for everyday clothing and was also significant in religious contexts.
Leviticus 13:47-48 discusses the laws concerning leprosy in garments, mentioning both wool and linen: "If any fabric is contaminated with mildew—any woolen or linen garment, any weave or knit of linen or wool, or any leather article—"
3.
Silk: Although not as frequently mentioned, silk was known and valued for its luxurious quality.
Proverbs 31:22 speaks of the virtuous woman: "She makes coverings for her bed; her clothing is fine linen and purple."
4.
Goat Hair: Used primarily for making tents, goat hair was a durable material. The Tabernacle itself was covered with curtains made from goat hair, as described in
Exodus 26:7: "You are to make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all."
Colors and SymbolismColors in fabrics often held symbolic meanings. Purple, for instance, was a color of royalty and wealth, as it was expensive to produce. The virtuous woman of
Proverbs 31 is clothed in "fine linen and purple" (
Proverbs 31:22), indicating her noble character and status.
Scarlet and crimson were also significant, often symbolizing sin and redemption.
Isaiah 1:18 uses these colors metaphorically: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Religious and Cultural SignificanceFabrics played a crucial role in religious rituals and cultural practices. The high priest's garments, as described in
Exodus 28, were made with specific fabrics and colors, each with its own symbolic meaning. The ephod, breastplate, and robe were crafted with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, signifying the glory and beauty of the priestly office.
The prohibition against mixing wool and linen, found in
Deuteronomy 22:11, "Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together," reflects a broader principle of maintaining purity and separation, a theme prevalent throughout the Mosaic Law.
Economic and Social AspectsFabrics were also an indicator of economic status and social class. The production and trade of textiles were significant economic activities. The virtuous woman of
Proverbs 31 is depicted as engaging in the textile trade, "She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchants" (
Proverbs 31:24).
In summary, fabrics in the Bible are more than mere materials; they are imbued with cultural, religious, and symbolic meanings that reflect the values and beliefs of the biblical world.
Greek
4211. porphuropolis -- a seller of purplefabrics... a seller of purple
fabrics. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
porphuropolis Phonetic Spelling: (por-foo-rop'-o-lis) Short Definition: a female
...5045. tekton -- a craftsman, spec. a carpenter
... carpenter. From the base of timoria; an artificer (as producer offabrics), ie
(specially), a craftsman in wood -- carpenter. see GREEK timoria....
Library
ChurchFabrics and Services.
... CHAPTER X. CHURCHFABRICS AND SERVICES. Thirty years or more of the present
century had passed before the Church awoke to put its...
On Clothes.
... And if some accommodation is to be made, they may be permitted to use softer clothes,
provided they put out of the wayfabrics foolishly thin, and of curious...
The Flood-Tide of Power.
... of a man named Bezalel[17] who was filled with the Spirit of God that he might have
skill in carpentry, in metal working, and weaving of finefabrics, for the...
Prefatory Notice.
... resemble rather those laces which the good Bunyan tagged in Bedford jail"not in
themselves garments, but merely adjuncts and ornaments of largerfabrics....
Book ix. On Jerusalem and Her Enemies
... The breastplate is a sinner's avowal of reason or is instruction; in Exodus: and
they made a breastplate wrought infabrics according to the work of the ephod....
Hiram, the Inspired Artificer
... They had to supply the cedar wood, iron, copper, brass, tin, gold, silver, and the
richfabrics which have made proverbial the sumptuous and beautiful raiment...
From Abraham to Egypt.
... "There were workers infabrics, metals, stones, implements and ornaments."
Time was divided as now and sun-dials showed the time of day....
Mason -- Messiah's Throne
... Messiah's throne is not one of those airyfabrics which are reared by vanity and
overthrown by time: it is fixt of old; it is staple, and can not be shaken...
Index.
... attendance, 439. "" and State, 15. "" building, 18, 428. ""fabrics, 409. 'Church
in Danger,' 2, 188. Churchill, Charles, 98 n. Churchwardens, 415....
Eyes Right
... We have thousands around us who need to be startled out of that slumber in which
they see thefabrics of their dreams, and the unsubstantial fancies of the hour...
Thesaurus
Fabrics (4 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Fabrics (4 Occurrences). Acts 16:14 A certain woman
named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira
...Fabric (8 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Cloth of any kind that is woven or knit from fibers, either vegetable
or animal; manufactured cloth; as, silks or otherfabrics....
Sheer (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Utter; complete; steep; thin or transparent; -- applied tofabrics. 2.
(vi) Very thin or transparent; -- applied tofabrics; as, sheer muslin....
Colors (12 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 23:14) and Egyptians and the inhabitants of Palestine Pottery, glazed bricks,
glassware, tomb walls, sarcophagi, wood andfabrics were submitted to the...
Crafts (2 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 5:6 1 Chronicles 14:1 2 Chronicles 2:7, 14 Ezra 3:7). Some of the simpler
operations, such as the spinning and weaving of the commonfabrics and the...
Color (18 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 23:14) and Egyptians and the inhabitants of Palestine Pottery, glazed bricks,
glassware, tomb walls, sarcophagi, wood andfabrics were submitted to the...
Phoenicians
... 4. Arts and Manufactures: (1) TextileFabrics: The Phoenicians were celebrated
for their textilefabrics of silk, wool, linen and cotton....
Phoenicia (6 Occurrences)
... 4. Arts and Manufactures: (1) TextileFabrics: The Phoenicians were celebrated
for their textilefabrics of silk, wool, linen and cotton....
Ornament (23 Occurrences)
... Ornaments in general would include finely embroidered or decoratedfabrics, such
as the priest's dress or the high-priestly attire, and the richly wrought veil...
Lint (1 Occurrence)
... made into a soft, downy or fleecy substance for dressing wounds and sores; also,
fine ravelings, down, fluff, or loose short fibers from yarn orfabrics....
Resources
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