Tabernacle Color

The Israelites had left Egypt; God told them to build a tabernacle; colors of scarlet, blue and purple were to be used as well as linen. The linen would have probably been bleached, so it would have been white or light cream. The colors seem to symbolize purity (white), blood or life (red), heaven, dignity, holiness (blue) and royalty (purple).

Where did they find the color? Madder is a woody, rather plain plant that stores red pigment in its roots. From there, Ancient Egyptians could have produced red. Also, red can be made from the dried bodies of female kermes, an insect found in the Mediterranean region.

Blue would have come, probably, from the woad plant which is found in Europe. Indigo, while considered the better plant, may have not been available to the Acient Egyptians and Israelites. Indigo is native to India. For both woad and indigo, the dye is found in the plant's leaves.

Purple could have come from the secretion of a marine mollusk. The color from the mollusk was known as Tyrian purple, and was predominately made by the Phoenicians. Purple could also have been made by dyeing red or blue material in blue or red.

Cherubim were first known after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. A cherub guards the entrance of the Garden. According to the Prophet Ezekiel's description of these creatures, it has the ability to look all four directions at once. Ezekiel describes the cherubim has having four faces: a man, a lion, a ox, and an eagle. It has two sets of wings, and flies below the throne of God.

It is these creatures that were to be incorporated into the material for the tabernacle, and would have probably been seen from the inside of the tabernacle. How were they placed into the material? It seems that embroidery is the most probable. Using the thread, the Israelites would have seen the designs onto the finished material before hanging them around the frame.

Through all the parts of the tabernacle, God demonstrated His holiness, purity, royalty, and sacrifice.