Numbers 4:6 Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over [that] a cloth entirely of blue; and they shall insert its poles. A cloth of blue.  It’s not really blue.  It’s tĕkeleth. The definition is a violet stuff, violet thread or fabric.  The other definition is blue, but it’s a spectrum from “brilliant red through deep purple.”  Looking further at Gesenius’ Lexicon, he remarks that it’s a type of muscle whose blue shell is ground up to make the dye for cerulean purple cloth.  The author of a website [1] says this about the cloth: Craftsmen were supernaturally filled with the requisite wisdom and were commanded to weave this dyed, blue linen or wool fabric into specific designs for various details of the tabernacle. Some of these included the covering for the Table of the Presence, veils and curtains, coverings over hides of sea cows, clothing of the priests and the fringe of the prayer shawl. In Exodus, you can read about the craftsmen working furiously to create with consummate skill, embroideries in this rare and unusual blue. Somehow, despite being in the desert, they not only had access to this precious color, but also the skill to weave it into the precise patterns, as commanded by God. (Ex 29-39) God used color, in this case that elusive blue, to impart one more subtle truth, one that fills me with awe at its precision in usage. The exact color of the fringe of the prayer shawl remains a mystery, but is often described by some Rabbis as resembling the blue of the sea, reflecting the sky, and resembling God’s seat of glory. That’s pretty interesting…  He also adds that this color is seen in the book of Esther, as well as extensively throughout the instructions regarding the tabernacle and, later, the Temple.  If this author is correct, it’s pretty amazing that these wandering Israelites had this dye (which was apparently pretty rare and quite expensive) and knew how to work with it (which seems to have been quite an art form in and of itself).  Another mystery of God’s provision.  If He required it to be used in His tabernacle, then He would provide the resources and the skill needed to do Him will.  That’s pretty cool! According to another source [2] blue was symbolic of divine contemplation and divine beings (since it is like the air or the sky).  In religious art it often represents truth, constancy and fidelity.  The reference to truth comes from the idea that the sky is always blue when the clouds blow away, which suggests the unveiling of truth. Whatever the reason, God went into a lot of detail and chose colors appropriately suited to His magnificence!  I think that’s kind of cool! Reference: [1] http://www.christian-artist-resource.com/prayer-shawl.html [2] “The Color Blue: Its Use as Metaphor and Symbol.” Vivian Jacobs and Wilhelmina Jacobs. American Speech, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Feb., 1958), pp. 29-46.  (article consists of 18 pages) Published by: Duke University Press.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/453461

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