Strong's Lexicon porphura: Purple Original Word: πορφύρα Word Origin: Derived from a foreign origin, likely from the Semitic languages, related to the Hebrew word אַרְגָּמָן (argaman). Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - Strong's Hebrew 713 (argaman): Refers to purple, often used in the context of royal or priestly garments in the Old Testament. Usage: The term "porphura" refers to the color purple, specifically a dye or fabric of this color. In the ancient world, purple was a symbol of wealth, royalty, and high status due to the costly and labor-intensive process required to produce the dye. The dye was extracted from the murex shellfish, making it rare and expensive. Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, purple garments were associated with nobility and authority. The process of making purple dye was complex and involved harvesting thousands of murex snails to produce a small amount of dye. This exclusivity made purple a color of prestige and power. In the Roman Empire, laws regulated who could wear purple, often reserving it for emperors and high-ranking officials. HELPS Word-studies 4209 porphýra – purple, symbolic of "royal status" (L & N, 1, 79.38). There were three familiar shades of purple in the ancient world: deep violet, deep scarlet (or crimson), and deep blue (WP, 2, 220). Prov 31:22 associates purple with "godly (ideal) femininity," i.e. "righteous femaleness." NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originprobably from a redupl. derivation of phuró (to mix dry with wet) Definition purple fish, purple dye, purple cloth NASB Translation purple (3), purple robe (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4209: πορφύραπορφύρα, πορφύρας, ἡ, the Sept. for אַרְגָמָן; 1. the purple-fish, a species of shell-fish or mussel: (Aeschylus, Sophocles), Isocrates, Aristotle, others; add 1 Macc. 4:23, on which see Grimm; (cf. B. D., under the word 2. a fabric colored with the purple dye, a garment made from purple cloth (so from Aeschylus down): Mark 15:17, 20; Luke 16:19; Revelation 17:4 Rec.; Of Latin origin; the "purple" mussel, i.e. (by implication) the red-blue color itself, and finally a garment dyed with it -- purple. Englishman's Concordance Mark 15:17 N-AFSGRK: ἐνδιδύσκουσιν αὐτὸν πορφύραν καὶ περιτιθέασιν NAS: They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting KJV: him with purple, and INT: they put on him purple [garment] and placed on Mark 15:20 N-AFS Luke 16:19 N-AFS Revelation 18:12 N-GFS Strong's Greek 4209 |
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