בּוּץ
𐤁𐤅𐤑
bûwts
H948 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A costly, fine, white textile, often interpreted as a luxury fabric used for clothing, priestly garments, and high-status textiles in ancient Israel. The term denotes a premium material, typically associated with whiteness and purity, likely either linen of exceptional quality or, less probably, cotton.
Semantic Range
fine linen, byssus, whitest or bleached textile, luxury cloth, possibly cotton in late or extra-biblical usage
Root / Etymology
The word בּוּץ (bûwts) is traditionally associated with a root meaning 'to be white, to bleach.' However, this root is not directly attested in Hebrew outside of the noun. Lexical tradition suggests a root related to whiteness or bleaching, paralleling similar terms in other Semitic languages, but the derivation remains uncertain; thus, 'etymology uncertain,' though whiteness and the notion of bleaching are proposed.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בּוּץ appears primarily in post-exilic, Persian-period texts (notably in Chronicles and Esther), denoting a fine white material used for garments of priests and high officials. The translation of בּוּץ as 'fine linen' is based on both etymology (a connection with whiteness) and ancient versions (such as the LXX, which renders it as 'byssos', indicating high-quality linen). In later periods and in Rabbinic literature, בוץ may specifically refer to cotton or a cotton-linen blend, and in some contexts, it may be distinguished from שֵׁשׁ (shesh), often considered regular linen. Archaeological evidence suggests by the late Iron Age and Persian period, trade introduced fabrics such as cotton alongside linen. Modern translations often render בּוּץ as 'fine linen' or 'byssus,' but there is some ambiguity, as the evidence for cotton in pre-Hellenistic Israel is limited. Therefore, בּוּץ should be understood as a high-value, light-colored textile, most likely of plant origin—either exceptionally fine linen or, in later usage, possibly cotton.
Translation Consistency
The term overwhelmingly denotes a high-quality, white luxury textile — most naturally rendered in English as “linen.” “Linen” is common, natural, and covers the typical sense (fine, bleached, priestly or high-status cloth) better than the rare technical term “byssus” or the broader “cloth.” It keeps translations clear and consistent while allowing context to convey the whiteness/quality when needed.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root (of the same form) meaning to bleach, i.e. (intransitive) be white; probably cotton (of some sort); fine (white) linen.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
בוץ (bôts) — whitish clay, pale fine earth, silt
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1206 | בֹץ | whitish clay |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H948-01 |
בּ֗וּץ | buts | HNcmsa |
of fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen | 3 |
H948-04 |
וּ/ב֑וּץ | uvuts | HC/Ncmsa |
and fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen | 2 |
H948-02 |
הַ/בֻּ֖ץ | habuts | HTd/Ncmsa |
of fine linen | the bleached-white linen | the bleached-white linen | 1 |
H948-03 |
וּ/בַ/בּ֣וּץ | uvabuts | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and in fine linen | and in bleached fine linen | and in fine linen | 1 |
H948-05 |
ב֣וּץ | vuts | HNcmsa |
fine-linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H948-04 |
Ezekiel 27:16 | וּ/בוּץ֙ | uvuts | HC/Ncmsa |
and fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen |
H948-05 |
Esther 1:6 | ב֣וּץ | vuts | HNcmsa |
fine-linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen |
H948-01 |
Esther 8:15 | בּ֖וּץ | buts | HNcmsa |
of fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen |
H948-02 |
1 Chronicles 4:21 | הַ/בֻּ֖ץ | habuts | HTd/Ncmsa |
of fine linen | the bleached-white linen | the bleached-white linen |
H948-01 |
1 Chronicles 15:27 | בּ֗וּץ | buts | HNcmsa |
of fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen |
H948-03 |
2 Chronicles 2:13 | וּ/בַ/בּ֣וּץ | uvabuts | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and in fine linen | and in bleached fine linen | and in fine linen |
H948-04 |
2 Chronicles 3:14 | וּ/ב֑וּץ | uvuts | HC/Ncmsa |
and fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen |
H948-01 |
2 Chronicles 5:12 | בּ֗וּץ | buts | HNcmsa |
in fine linen | bleached fine linen | bleached fine linen |