אַרְגָּמָן
𐤀𐤓𐤂𐤌𐤍
ʼargâmân
H713 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A costly fabric or yarn dyed a deep purple-red hue, produced from mollusk secretions and used especially in garments of high prestige or sacred significance. In biblical usage, denotes both the color purple (reddish-purple) and the material or textile dyed with this color, highly valued and typically reserved for royal, elite, or cultic use.
Semantic Range
material dyed with purple, purple-colored fabric or thread, color purple (especially reddish-purple), luxury textile for royal or sacred use, precious dyed goods
Root / Etymology
Borrowed from a non-Semitic source, likely via Akkadian (argamannu) and West Semitic cognates (e.g., Ugaritic argmn). The ultimate etymology is uncertain, but the word references an imported, luxury dye product originally produced in Phoenicia and coastal regions, not derived from a native Hebrew root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַרְגָּמָן appears primarily in texts detailing the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus) and Solomon's Temple, as well as lists of precious materials sent as tribute or used in royal apparel. Its use in descriptions of priestly vestments and tabernacle coverings implies high status and symbolic significance, often alongside תְּכֵלֶת (tekhelet, blue), שֵׁשׁ (fine linen), and other luxury fabrics. The purple dye was famously extracted from certain sea snails (Murex species) native to the eastern Mediterranean, a complex process that made the resulting fabric one of the most expensive and prestigious in the ancient Near East. English translations as "purple" approximate the color, but in antiquity the precise shade ranged from reddish to violet hues. The term and object entered Hebrew from older Near Eastern luxury trade; Greek and Roman sources reference similar fabrics as "porphyra." The association with royalty, wealth, and sacredness persisted into later periods. The later English term "royal purple" reflects this ancient tradition but may not capture the specific range of hues intended in biblical contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of foreign origin; purple (the color or the dyed stuff); purple.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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ארגמן (ʾ-r-g-m-n (loanword, uncertain origin)) — purple-dyed material, luxury textile, costly dye
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H713-06 |
וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֛ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric | 26 |
H713-03 |
הָֽ/אַרְגָּמָ֑ן | haaregaman | HTd/Ncmsa |
the purple | the purple-dyed luxury textile | 4 |
H713-01 |
אַרְגָּמָֽן | aregaman | HNcmsa |
purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric | 3 |
H713-05 |
וּ/בָֽ/אַרְגָּמָ֗ן | uvaaregaman | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and in purple | and in purple-dyed luxury cloth | 2 |
H713-04 |
כָּ/אַרְגָּמָ֑ן | kaaregaman | HRd/Ncmsa |
like purple | purple-dyed luxury textile | 1 |
H713-07 |
וְ/הָֽ/אַרְגָּמָן֙ | vehaaregaman | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and the purple | and the purple-dyed luxury textile | 1 |
H713-02 |
בָּ/אַרְגָּמָ֤ן | baaregaman | HRd/Ncmsa |
in purple | purple-dyed luxury textile | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
38 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H713-06 |
Exodus 25:4 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֛ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 26:1 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָן֙ | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 26:31 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֛ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 26:36 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֛ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 27:16 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֜ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and-purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-03 |
Exodus 28:5 | הָֽ/אַרְגָּמָ֑ן | haaregaman | HTd/Ncmsa |
the purple | the purple-dyed luxury textile |
H713-06 |
Exodus 28:6 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֜ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 28:8 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֛ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 28:15 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָ֜ן | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |
H713-06 |
Exodus 28:33 | וְ/אַרְגָּמָן֙ | vearegaman | HC/Ncmsa |
and purple | purple-dyed luxury fabric |