The term "blood-red" is often used in Scripture to describe a vivid, deep red color reminiscent of blood. This imagery is employed in various contexts throughout the Bible, symbolizing themes such as sacrifice, judgment, and divine wrath.

Symbolism of Blood-red in Sacrifice

In the Old Testament, the color red, particularly blood-red, is closely associated with the sacrificial system established by God for the atonement of sins. The blood of sacrificial animals, which was a deep red, played a crucial role in the rituals of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Leviticus 17:11 states, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life." The blood-red color of the sacrifices pointed to the seriousness of sin and the necessity of a life given to cover it.

Blood-red as a Sign of Judgment

The imagery of blood-red is also used in the Bible to signify divine judgment. In the book of Revelation, the apocalyptic visions often include blood-red elements as symbols of God's impending wrath and judgment upon the earth. Revelation 6:12 describes a scene of cosmic disturbance: "And when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood." Here, the moon turning blood-red serves as a harbinger of the catastrophic events to follow, emphasizing the severity of God's judgment.

Blood-red in Prophetic Imagery

The prophets also utilized the color blood-red to convey messages of impending doom and the need for repentance. Joel 2:31 prophesies, "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD." This vivid imagery is intended to awaken the people to the reality of God's power and the urgency of turning back to Him.

Blood-red in the New Covenant

In the New Testament, the concept of blood-red takes on a profound significance in the context of the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ, shed on the cross, is central to the Christian faith as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Hebrews 9:14 declares, "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?" The blood-red imagery here underscores the purity and efficacy of Christ's sacrifice, which surpasses the old sacrificial system.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, the color blood-red serves as a powerful symbol of sacrifice, judgment, and redemption. It is a vivid reminder of the gravity of sin, the reality of divine justice, and the profound love of God manifested in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.5332. netsach -- juice (of grapes), blood, gore
... blood, strength. Probably identical with netsach, through the idea of brilliancy
of color; juice of the grape (as blood red) -- blood, strength. ...
/hebrew/5332.htm - 6k

Death is the Gate of Life
... be seen, at the summit of branch and twig, formed into its very likeness: in others
the leaf-buds seem to bear its mark by breaking through the stem blood-red. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/trotter/parables of the cross/death is the gate of.htm

The Tournament at Constantinople.
... cross in crimson silk. He was called the Red Knight, for a blood-red cloth
completely covered his charger. His worthy achievements ...
/.../the seven champions of christendom/chapter twelve the tournament at.htm

The Second vision "On Earth"
... On August 17, 1819, Dr. Seiss tells us that "Captain Ross saw the mountains at Baffin's
Bay covered for eight miles with blood-red snow many feet in depth ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the second vision on earth.htm

The Voice of the Blood of Christ
... One of my saints has been murdered, and here he comes, And Abel entered into heaven
blood-red, the first of God's elect who had entered Paradise, and the first ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the voice of the blood.htm

The Adventures of Saint James of Spain.
... tin"he heard the cheerful echoes of a thousand brazen trumpets, and saw issuing
from the brazen gates a hundred armed knights, bearing blood-red streamers in ...
/.../kingston/the seven champions of christendom/chapter six the adventures of.htm

The Bereavements of the Christian Home. [A]
... "One sleeps where southern vines are dress'd, Above the noble slain; He wrapped
his colors round his breast, On a blood-red field of Spain. ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xxvi the bereavements of.htm

Missed Ends
... And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the
green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell. ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter vi missed ends.htm

New Teaching in Parables' - the Parables to the People by the Lake ...
... Almost suddenly the blood-red anemones, the gay tulips, the spotless narcissus,
and the golden ranunculus [2779] deck with wondrous richness the grass of the ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxiii new teaching in.htm

Wave, Wave Your Banners High,
... Wave, wave your banners high,. The day of strife is done,. On blood-red field the
foemen lie,. And victory is won; The march, the toil, the fight are o'er,. ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the russian church/ix wave wave your banners.htm

System of Marcus; a Mere Impostor; his Wicked Devices Upon the ...
... of a purple, and sometimes of a red mixture, so that his dupes imagined that a certain
Grace descended and communicated to the potion a blood-red potency. ...
/.../hippolytus/the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxxiv system of marcus a.htm

Blood-red (1 Occurrence)
Blood-red. Bloodless, Blood-red. Bloodrevenge . Multi-Version
Concordance Blood-red (1 Occurrence). Isaiah 63:1 Who ...
/b/blood-red.htm - 6k

Robed (9 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Isaiah 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with blood-red robes from Bozrah?
he whose clothing is fair, stepping with pride in his great strength? ...
/r/robed.htm - 9k

Majestic (22 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Isaiah 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with blood-red robes from
Bozrah? he whose clothing is fair, stepping with pride in his great strength? ...
/m/majestic.htm - 12k

Purple (54 Occurrences)
... 10. (a.) Imperial; regal; -- so called from the color having been an emblem
of imperial authority. 11. (a.) Blood-red; bloody. 12. ...
/p/purple.htm - 28k

Bloodless (1 Occurrence)

/b/bloodless.htm - 7k

Bloodrevenge
Bloodrevenge. Blood-red, Bloodrevenge. Blood-revenge . Int. ... blud-re-venj': See
AVENGER. Blood-red, Bloodrevenge. Blood-revenge . Reference Bible.
/b/bloodrevenge.htm - 6k

Announcing (17 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Isaiah 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with blood-red robes from Bozrah?
he whose clothing is fair, stepping with pride in his great strength? ...
/a/announcing.htm - 11k

Sycamine (1 Occurrence)
... 30 ft. It produces the dark blood-red mulberry juice referred to in 1 Maccabees
6:34 (moron), "the blood of.... mulberries," which ...
/s/sycamine.htm - 8k

Stepping (13 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with blood-red robes from Bozrah? he
whose clothing is fair, stepping with pride in his great strength? ...
/s/stepping.htm - 10k

Sardine (1 Occurrence)
... Sardine stone. (Revelation 4:3, RV, "sardius;" Hebrews `odhem; LXX., Gr. sardion,
from a root meaning "red"), a gem of a blood-red colour. ...
/s/sardine.htm - 7k

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