אַרְגְּוָן
𐤀𐤓𐤂𐤅𐤍
ʼargᵉvân
H710 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A rare term referring to purple-dyed fabric, especially a deep red-purple wool or textile. It denotes a prestigious and valuable material commonly used in Israelite ritual or royal contexts, and is considered synonymous with, or a variant of, 'argaman' (אַרְגָּמָן) in the Hebrew Bible.
Semantic Range
purple (especially wool or textile dyed purple), cloth of purple, royal garment, prestigious/luxury fabric
Root / Etymology
The word אַרְגְּוָן (ʼargᵉvân) is likely a dialectal or orthographic variation of אַרְגָּמָן (ʼargāmān), possibly reflecting a regional or chronological variant in Hebrew. The original root is uncertain, but scholars posit an origin in a non-Semitic source, perhaps from an ancient Mediterranean substrate or possibly borrowed from an Akkadian form (e.g., argamannu).
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַרְגְּוָן appears only in Daniel 5:7,16,29, in the Aramaic section of the Hebrew Bible. It was used during the Babylonian and Persian periods and denotes a prestigious color/textile often associated with royal honor or status—in these passages, it is part of the honors bestowed by Belshazzar. Unlike אַרְגָּמָן, which is widespread in earlier Hebrew texts and often associated with the Israelite Tabernacle or Temple, אַרְגְּוָן reflects the influence of Aramaic and regional languages during the Exilic and post-Exilic periods. Later translations, such as the Septuagint, generally render both terms simply as 'purple.' The English 'purple' does not capture the specific connotation of luxury and royal or priestly usage encoded in these words.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a variation for אַרְגָּמָן; purple; purple.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ארגון (ʾ-r-g-w-n) — purple-dyed textile, royal fabric, luxury cloth
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H711 | אַרְגְּוָן | the purple cloth |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H710-01 |
וּ/בָֽ/אַרְגְּוָן֙ | uvaaregevan | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and in purple | and in purple-dyed fabric | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H710-01 |
2 Chronicles 2:6 | וּ/בָֽ/אַרְגְּוָן֙ | uvaaregevan | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and in purple | and in purple-dyed fabric |