Colours

In his Juventus Mttiidi (p. 540) Gladstone sums up the main conclusions of his investigations into the sense of colour in Homer (cf. Studies on Homer and the Hamerie Ar/e, iii. 457 ff. ) : — ' 1. His perceptions of colour, considered as light decomposed, though highly poetical, are also very indetermiuate. 2. His perceptions of light not decomposed as varying between light and dark, white and black, are most vivid and effective. 3.

Accordingly, his descriptions of colour generally tend a good deal to range themselves in a scale (so to speak) of degrees rather than of kinds of light.' Very much the same may be said of the colour-sense among the Hebrews.

Even in Mesopotamia the colours used in the painting and enamelling of walls were only some five or six in number, and were used for effects of brilliance rather than of actual representation of natural coloured objects (Perrot and Chipiez, History of Art in Chaldeea and Assyria, vol. ii. p. 296). Among the Hebrews the pictorial arts seem to have been at first unknown, and later were dis- couraged on religious grounds.

Dyeing was the only art connected with colours known to them before the time of Ezekiel, and even here the result rather than the process was familiar. Con- se(piently, the references to colour in the oldest literature are very .simple. In the Song of Deborah (.Ig S*) dyed stuffs and embroideries (of various colours) are mentioned without any further dis- tinction. In the Song of the Bow (2 S 1^), ' scarlet' raiment is the gift of the king. In the ' Oldest Book of Hebrew Hist.'

(JE), the only colours men- tioned are black (Gn 3032ff.), vfhite (Gn 49'-), scarlet (Gn 3828- »), red (Gn 25^6) _ and grey (Gn 44-'). All these are used of natural objects. Later, the dyed wares of Phoenicia were introduced and largely used among the Hebrews, whose acquaintance with colours was thus enlarged, though at no time was it very precise in its nature or extensive in its comprehension. In like manner the symbolism of colours in OT and NT is very simple.

It may be classed as (a) literary, (h) apocalyptic, (c) ritual. (a) Illustrations of the finst use will be found under the individual colours. It is to be found in the literature of most nations, especially in poetical language. (b) The apocalyptic use of colour as symbol is foimd in a simple form in Zee, in a more developed in Dn, and in its most complete form in the Apocalypse. (c) In matters pertaining to ritual (esp.

in the tabernacle), colours are frequently used, but it has not yet been satisfactorily shown that they were used .symbolically, or thai they were other than the most brilliant colours procurable when the descriptions were given. They are only thus mentioned in P and Ch. In Alexandria, how- ever, in the 1st cent, they were all interpreted symliolically by Philo, who says (de Vila JIos. iii.

0) lliat tiiey rei)reseiit the elements— fine flax (white), the earth; purple, water; hyacinth COLOUKS COLOURS 457 (blue), air; scarlet, fire (so also Jos. Ant. III. vii. 7). Black is used in OT only of natural olijects. (1) nnp of hair Lv 13-«, Ca .5", horses Zee G-'-', .skin that is burnt with the sun Ca 1°, and that peels oil in (Jisea.se Job 3U™.

(2) Din is used of sheep only Gn 3U''-'-", and is rendered in LXX by 0ai4s, a word denoting the groyness of twilight, or any mixture of black and white. In v.''" it is an inler- pol.'ition. (3) The verb T}i3 (originally ' to be dirty, foul ') is used of the darkened sky Jer 4-', 1 K 1S^°, and from its original meaning comes to signify mourning Jer 8=' 14^ Ezk 31", Mai 3'^. It is also used of tlie dark colour of ice-covered water Job 6"'. In I'r 7° ' blackne.

ss of ni";ht ' is literally as in RVm ' pupil of eye of night.' In Ep. Jer (v.") faces are blackened {tuiieXavuiidfOi) by smoke. In NT lU\as is used of hair Mt 5''', of horses Rev 6', and especially of ink 2 Co 3' etc.; yv6ipos for the dark- ness of night He 12'» (cf. Dt 4"), and fo>os for the darkness of the nether world 2 P 2* (cf. Ilomer, H. xxi. 56). It is used symbolically for afliiction and death Zee 6''' (' famine in consequence of a siege,' cf. Hitzig-Steiner's Comm.)

, La 4", and as above for 'mourning' generally Mai 3". Blue (nVrn, LXX Wm^Soj, AXoirip^i/pos only in Nu 4', cf. JCen. Cyrop. VIII. iii. 13). In NT there is no mention of this colour. In As.syr. the word ta-kil-tu occurs in .several inscriptions (Delitzsch, Assyr. Hwh. p. 70(i). This colour .seems to have been a violet-purple as distinguislied from [ca^N (see PUKPLE), but even in early times there was great indefiniteness in its use (cf. Talra. Bab.

ahnnchvth 44*, and for use of vaKivBoi and hya- cinthu.1 in classical writers see Kitto, Cyclop, of Bilil. Lit.' i. 40 f.) It was obtained from a shell- fish found on the Phten. coa.st attached to the rocks. The Targ. pseudo-Jonathan to Dt 33'" calls it p\~, and this is usually identified with Helix inntliina. (For other purple-i>roducing shell- fish see Pi;]iPLE.)

Blue was used often with purple (see below) and scarlet (see Scaklet) in the curtains of the tabernacle (Ex 26'), the veil of the ark (26"), the screen of the tent-door (26**), the screen of the gates of the court (27'"), parts con- nected with the ejihod (28), the mitre (28"), and the girdle (3',)-") of the priest, also in the coverings of tTie table of shewbread, the candlesticks, the golden altar, and the vessels of the sanctuary (Nu 4). A cord of blue was to be jmt on the fringes or ta.

ssels of the Israelites' jjarinents (Nu If)*"). In the veil, before the holiest place in Solomon's temple, blue was inwrought with purple and crini-son according to the Chronicler (2 Ch 3"). It wa« also used in the clothing of idols (Jer 10"). In Ezk it is the colour of the clothing of young As.sj'r. nobles (23°), and in his descrijition of the luxury of Tyre, awnings of blue and purjde were their coverings on shi[js ; and hales of blue and broidered work were among their inerchandi.

se (27'' ■"). Hangings of white and blue cloth figure in the palace of Ahasuerus (Est 1"), and royal apparel is of^ blue and white (Est 8'"). In Pr 20™ the AV ' blueness of a wound ' is correctly given in RV as "stripes that wound.' ClilM-soN is identical with scarlet. It occurs in RV only in Is 1'" a-s tr. of I'Sn (see SCAULKT), and in 2 Ch 2'-" 3' for V'?-i3, which seems to be a Peisian word, from ,S 'a worm,' and thus equiva- lent to py'jiB (cf. Ces-Iliihl.) See separate art. <;i!

Ei;n' (in Ikb. various derivatives of the root pT, cf. Assyr. iirnlni, ' to be pale ' [Delitzscli, Assyr. Ihi'h. p. 243]. Cr. X'^^wp'i'). — It is used exclusively of vegetation (In 1™ !)', Mk &', Rev 8' 9* etc. Greenish, pin;, tbat is, inclining to yellow, is used ol the plague of leprosy in skin or garniunt Lv 13'" 14". 'The same word is used of gold Ps 08" (RV ' yellow '). In the many other passages where the word 'green' occurs in KV, the Ueh. equivalent contains no reference to colour.

Uhev is used only of ' grey hair,' Heb. ^^'v Un 44" etc. Puni'LE (LXX and NT Top<pvpa, 7rup0upoDs, Heb. ]'p!<, Aram, i*;;;"'!', Assyr. Argnmnnnu, Del. A.i.iyt . Ihrh. p. 129). — This was a precious dye of a red- purple colour obtained from the sliell-lish MiirKX trunrulus, near Tyre, and Murcx hrnnditris on the shores of Taranto and the Pelojionnesus.

The Phcenicians soein to have long monopolized the sale (and perhaps the preparation) of it, not only on their ow n coasts, but on those of the ' isles of Elisliah ' (ace. to Targ. on (In 10^ = Italy, more prolial)ly = Greece,'E\\as ; cf. Smen<rs 6V/»ihi.), Kzk 27", and in the manufactories of Syria (Kzk 27'"). In later times the dye was sold (and manu- factured ?) in Asia (Ac 16'''), and in Pliny's time in the islands on the N. coast of Africa and Madeira (HN ix. 36, vi. 36 ; cf. Strabo, 83j).

For other methods of preparing purple see Vitruvius, vii. 13, 14. Purple was used — generallj' in Cdinbiiiatiou w itli blue and scarlet — in the curtains and veils of the tabernacle, in (certain parts of the priests' dress and ornaments, and alone in the cloth spread on the altar (Ex 26-28. 35. 39, Nu 4'^ cf. Sir 45'"), also in Solomon's temple (see BLUE). It was especially the colour used in the raiment and trap|)ings of royalty.

The kings of Midian wore purple raiment (Jg 8*), so did the royal courtiers of Persia (E.st 8"), of Babylon (Dn 5'-'"- ^), and of Syria (2 Mac 4^). The Uttings of Solomon's palanquin (Ca 3'") and the cords in the hangings of the palace of Ahasuerus (Est 1") were of purple ; and the absence of this colour from the dress of the all-powerful Rom.ins was noted with surprise (1 Alac 8").

Purple is thus the sign of royalty and nobility (Pr 31, , Rev 17* 18'"- '"), and hence it is iised in the dressing of idols (Jer 10", F^p. ler"'). A puriile robe was put on our Lord in mockery before his crucifixion (Mk 15" [iropipvpav], Ju 19''' {linaTiov TTopfpvpovi'], but Mt 27^ reads ' scarlet ' [x^^anvda KOKKifijp]). In Ca 7° the brilliance of the hair is compared with that of purple (see Graetz, Comm.) Ked (mx and '^idtn ; for other words see below, LXX and NT Trvfifji!

, wfiadKTis, Trc/S/lifwi/. In Assyr. the root <idin is used lor dark red as of blood [Delitzscli, Assyr. llwb. p. 26]). — This colour is in most passages used of natural objects, as of pott.ige Gn 25*, a heifer Nu 19-, water discoloured 2 K 3-, wine Pr 23^' (cf. RVm to Ps 75', Heb. apri), horses Zee 1 6", Rev 6'', the face red with weeping Job 16"> (RVm), and the sky Mt 16^". But it was also artificially produced (Flinders Petrie says that red-dyed leather was made in Egypt before B.C. 3000).

Rams' skins dyed red were used for the covering of the tent of the tabernacle Ex 25° 35'- ^ 36'" 39'-" (see TABERNACLE). Garments dyed red are mentioned in Is 63-'. In Nah 2^ the words ' made red ' mean dyed red according to Oxf. Heb. Lex. and Siegfried-Stade, but ' lit up by the sun ' (cf. 1 Mac 6"') according to Hitzig-Steiner's Cumin. In Gn 49'" the word translated ' red ' means ■ dull ' (cf. Oxf. Heb. Lex. to 'V'^?Ci, and Assyr.

<i/:alu), and in Est 1' 'red' is either ' poriihyiy ' (K\iii, cf. Oxf. Heb. Lex. to onj) or inalacliite (Uyssel's Cvm- incntary). In one passage (Wis 13'*, see Vkk- MILION) it is the RV remlcring of ipvOifvat. A lighter shade of the .sjinio colour is expressed by the word reddish (o'^^'in), used of leprous spots on the tlesh Lv 13, or on the wall of a house Lv 14". Scarlet (yi>'in, .-iv^^b, ")5», and very commonly nv'i'^B 'Vf, LX.X oni! NT ndxKivot. See also Crimson).

— yS'in denotes t he source of t he colour, 'W the brilliance of it(cf. Pliny, 7/ A' xxxiii.40, 'Cocci nitor'; Martial, X. 70. ' cocco mulio ftUqet '). It is an artilicial colour 458 COLT CUMFOKT ol)t;iined from the female of an insect {Coccus ilicis) which is found attaclied to a species of oak, and forms a berry-like protuberance about the size of a cherry-stone. It was found chietly in Palestine, Asia Minor, and South Europe.

The poor of Spain at the time of I'liny paid half their tribute by means of this insect (//A xvi. 12). In OT scarlet is used chiefly of thread (Gn 38^- «», Jos 2'8- "). cloth (Nu 4, 2 S 1*), and wool (He 9"). In the coverings of the tabernacle it was used sometimes alone Nu 4', oftener with purple and blue Ex SG'- " etc. So also in the dress of the priests Ex 28' etc., cf. Sir 45". In ordinary life scarlet clothing was a sign of prosperity 2 S 1", Pr 31=', La 4".

Its brilliance made it a source of attraction Jer 4*^, and led to the figurative use for what was glaring Is 1". (Jnce only it is used of a natural object, when the lips are compared to a thread of scarlet Ca 4'. Sorrel (piy) occurs once of horses in Zee 1', where LXX translates by xj/aabs, 'dappled grey,' cf. 6» (LXX). Vermilion (Heb. li^, Gr. ^i/Xtos [but iv ypa(plSi in Ezk]). — A pigment used among the Assyrians (for refl'. see Smith, DB i. 623).

Rooms were painted with it Jer 22", images of the Chaldaians are por- trayed on a wall with it in a description in Ezk 23", and wooden idols are smeared with it in Wis IS". The Vulg. translates by sinopide in Jer, colorihus in Ezk, and rubrica in Wis. Virgil (Eel. X. 26 f.) and Vlmy (HN xxxv. 45, cf. xxxiii. 36) describe Roman Images of deities thus adorned. White. — In OT the most usual word employed is p^, LXX \eu)t65.

It is used of such objects as snow Is 1'*, milk Gn 49'^, manna Ex 16", horses Zee 1' 6'- ', and leprous hair Lv 13. Lebanon seems to have received its name either from the white snow on its summits or the limestone of which it was composed (see Delitzsch, Wo lag das Paradies, p. 103). In Ca 5'° the word ns 'white' (RV) denotes dazzling, and in Dn 7" a late word "i;n is used of raiment. The same root is used in tlie word translated ' white bread ' Gn 40".

In NT Xeusis is used of natural objects and of linen, but chiefly as the symbol of purity or innocence and holiness, as in the Transfiguration, or of angels Jn 20'^, etc., the saints Rev 6", or the throne of God Rev 20", or of victory Rev 6^ 19"- " (cf . Virgil, Aen. iii 537 L). Yellow (dYij, fai-fllfowa) is used in OT only of tlie hair in leprous sores Lv is^o-sa. S6 (jjyj ggg Greenish).

In Est 1' the word -q tv^ • yellow ' in KV, ' alabaster ' in RVm, probably means ' pearl ' or ' mother-of-pearl' (Ox/. Heb. Lex. and Ges-Buhl under -q). In addition to the words denoting specific colours, there are a few used in OT to indicate a mixture, generally of black and white. The chief of these are : I. Speckled I'p.;, literally dotted or si)otted, used of slieep and goats, Gn 30. 31. In Jer 12' it is used of birds and is a tr. of yoy, lit. ' dyed.' 2. Spotted Ni'??, i.e.

covered with patches, Gn 30. The same Heb. word is used in Ezk 16" of high placee, and is translated in RV ' decked with divers colours.' 3. Ringstraked npi', marked with rings or bands Gn 30. 31. 4. Grisled nn;, marked with white spots resembling hail, used of he-goats Gn 31">", of horses Zee 6»- «. In .Ig 5** the word n'vis is tr. ' of divers colours ' in RV, or ' dyed garments ' in RVm (cf. also under Speckled). The word ncp-i is tr.

'of divers colours ' in 1 Ch 29% of precious stones, similarly in Ezk 17' of feathers. In other places it is gener- ally translated ' broidered work.' It is derived from a root which, according to Fleischer, origin- ally meant to make a thing many-coloured by engraving, drawing, writing, or broillering. G. W. Thatcher. COLT is not applied in the Bible to the young horse, but to the young ass, and once (Gn 32") to the young camel.

Outside the Bible it is not applied to the 3'oung of any animal but the horse See Ass. J. HASTINGS.