Exodus 25:4

25:4 blue, ¹  purple, ²  scarlet, ³  fine linen, ⁴  goat’s hair, ⁵ 

Exodus 35:6

35:6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat’s hair,

Exodus 35:25

35:25 Every woman who was skilled ⁶  spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen,

Exodus 35:35

35:35 He has filled them with skill ⁷  to do all kinds of work ⁸  as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are ⁹  craftsmen in all the work ¹⁰  and artistic designers. ¹¹ 

Exodus 36:8

The Building of the Tabernacle

36:8 All the skilled among those who were doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; they were made with cherubim that were the work of an artistic designer.

[25:4]  ¹ sn The blue refers to dye made from shellfish. It has a dark blue or purple-blue, almost violet color. No significance for the color is attached.

[25:4]  ² sn Likewise this color dye was imported from Phoenicia, where it was harvested from the shellfish or snail. It is a deep purple-red color.

[25:4]  ³ sn This color is made from the eggs and bodies of the worm coccus ilicus, which is found with the holly plant – so Heb “worm of brilliance.” The powder made from the dried maggots produces a bright red-yellow color (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:452). B. Jacob takes the view that these are not simply colors that are being introduced here, but fabrics dyed with these colors (Exodus, 765). At any rate, the sequence would then be metals, fabrics, and leathers (v. 5).

[25:4]  ⁴ sn This is generally viewed as a fine Egyptian linen that had many more delicate strands than ordinary linen.

[25:4]  ⁵ sn Goat’s hair was spun into yarn (35:26) and used to make the material for the first tent over the dwelling. It is ideal for tenting, since it is loosely woven and allows breezes to pass through, but with rain the fibers expand and prevent water from seeping through.

[35:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.

[35:35]  ⁷ tn The expression “wisdom of heart,” or “wisdom in heart,” means artistic skill. The decisions and plans they make are skilled. The expression forms a second accusative after the verb of filling.

[35:35]  ⁸ tn The expression “all the work” means “all kinds of work.”

[35:35]  ⁹ tn Here “They are” has been supplied.

[35:35]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “doers of all work.”

[35:35]  ¹¹ tn Heb “designers of designs.”