Blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair. The fabric list introduces the color vocabulary of the tabernacle: blue, purple, and scarlet — the three primary dye colors of the ancient world, each extremely expensive. Blue was derived from sea snails, purple from Murex mollusks, scarlet from insects. The combination of all three with fine linen created the most luxurious fabric available. Hebrews 9:19 says Moses used scarlet wool and branches of hyssop in the covenant ratification ceremony — the colors that recur throughout the tabernacle and the priestly garments are the colors of the covenant ceremonies. The visual richness of the tabernacle communicates the worth of the God who dwells in it.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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