Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DYE, DYEING

Linen in its natural state is white or beige, while wool is either white, brown, or black. In order to produce fabrics in colors other than these, the fibers must be dyed. There is an abundance of evidence that dyed fabrics were in use during the biblical period. A scrap of red woolen fabric, found at Naḥal Mishmar in the cliffs E of the Dead Sea, dates to the Chalcolithic period (4th millennium b.c.e.). Canaan was known for dyed fabrics. In the Song of Deborah, Sisera’s mother awaits her son’s triumphant return with spoils of war including “dyed stuffs embroidered” (Judg. 5:30b). The nature of textiles means that most disintegrate, so few examples from the period exist. However, depictions of Canaanites found in Egyptian art shows that richly embroidered and colored bands decorated the garments.

Dyed textiles are required in the making of the tabernacle and priestly vestments described in Exod. 25–28, 35–38. Three colors predominate: blue, purple, and crimson. The purple was produced from sea snails of the Mediterranean Sea, and crimson came from the scale insect known as Kermes, but the origin of blue is not clearly known. Blue, purple, and crimson were colors of luxury textiles and marked the owner as a person of power or wealth. Their use in the tabernacle indicates the holiness of the place. Other colors, both natural and dyed, were likely used in other garments or hangings.

To produce dyed fabrics it is necessary to have fiber for dyeing, in the form of raw wool or flax, spun yarn or thread, or woven fabric; dyes, from plant, mineral, or animal sources; tools for grinding and preparing dyes; and pots or vats to prepare the dye and color the fiber. The processes associated with the preparation of dyes produced unpleasant odors, so dyeing establishments were often located on windy promontories at the edge of settlements. Identification of installations as dyeing facilities can be difficult. William F. Albright identified stone vats at Tell Beit Mirsim as dye vats, but further research has shown them to be olive oil presses. However, excavators found piles of crushed shells of dye-producing snails and potsherds with a residue of purple dye at Tell es-Samaq/Tel Shiqmona on the northern coast of Israel, which indicates the presence of a dyeing industry. Sarepta, Tell el-Fukhkhâr/Tel Acco, and Tell Keisan/Tel Kison also produced sherds with traces of purple dye.

Bibliography. E. J. W. Barber, Prehistoric Textiles (Princeton, 1992), 223-43; S. Robinson, A History of Dyed Textiles (Cambridge, Mass., 1969).

Mary Petrina Boyd

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DYE, DYEING

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)