Original Word: אַרְגָּמָן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: argaman
Pronunciation: ar-gah-MAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-gaw-mawn')
KJV: purple
NASB: purple, purple fabric, purple threads
Word Origin: [of foreign origin]

1. purple (the color or the dyed stuff)

purple

Of foreign origin; purple (the color or the dyed stuff) -- purple.

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
purple, red-purple
NASB Translation
purple (36), purple fabric (1), purple threads (1).

אַרְגָּמָן noun [masculine] purple, red-purple, i.e. purple thread & cloth (Assyrian argamannu COT Exodus 25:4, Arabic , Aramaic , compare אַרְגְּוָן above; etymology dubious; possibly Sanskrit râgaman, adjective red, reddish, from râga, red colour, so Benary compare Thes Add¹¹¹ Rob-Ges; see MV; Thes earlier, from רגם; but probably loan-word, compare also Lag^{BN 205}; Persian is also cited by PS) — form always as above —

1 purple thread, compare especially Exodus 35:25; Exodus 39:3; Esther 1:6;

a. mostly Exodus (P) with reference to the hangings of tabernacle, the ephod, etc.; seldom alone; with תְּכֵלֶת, violet (q. v.), תּוֺלַעַת שָׁנִי, (מָשְׁזָב) שֵׁשׁ, (also עִזִּים) Exodus 25:4; Exodus 26:1,31,36; Exodus 27:16; Exodus 35:8,25,35; Exodus 36:8,35,37; Exodus 38:18,23; Exodus 39:24 (on text see Di) Exodus 39:29; with these + זָהָב Exodus 28:5,6,8,15; Exodus 39:2; Exodus 39:3; Exodus 39:5; Exodus 39:8; omitted ׳שֵׁשׁ מ Exodus 28:33; Exodus 39:1; also of temple-hangings, with תְּכֵלֶת, בּוּץ & כַּרְמִיל2Chronicles 3:14; compare 2 Chron 2:13 (see also 2 Chronicles 2:6 see below אַרְגְּוָן).

b. as indicating wealth & luxury of Tyre, c. שֵׁשׁ, רִקְמָה, תְּכֵלֶת Ezekiel 27:7; with רִקְמָה & בּוּץ Ezekiel 27:16 (as articles of commerce); also in Persia, with בּוּץ Esther 1:6.

2 purple cloth, chiefly of garments, ׳בֶּגֶד א Numbers 4:13; Judges 8:26; ׳וְתַכְרִיךְ בּוּץ וְא Esther 8:15, לְבוּשָׁהּ ׳שֵׁשׁ וְא Proverbs 31:22; לְבוּשָׁם ׳תְּכֵלָת וְא Jeremiah 10:9; also ׳מֶרְכָּבוֺ א Cant 3:10; in simile, of woman's hair Cant 7:6.

Meaning and Essential Features

The word designates a rich purple-red textile and the dye that produced it. In Scripture it always appears in lists of luxurious or sanctified materials alongside blue yarn, scarlet yarn, and fine linen. The color comes from the secretion of Mediterranean murex mollusks, an extraction so costly that argaman became a hallmark of sacred service and royal splendor.

Argaman in the Wilderness Sanctuary

1. Contributions of the people – Exodus 25:4; 35:6, 23 show the Israelites freely bringing “purple yarn” to Moses. Its presence among other costly donations reveals the seriousness with which Israel regarded worship.
2. Curtains and Veils – “All the curtains were made of finely spun linen, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn” (Exodus 36:8). The color was literally woven into the dwelling place of God, portraying His majesty within the camp.
3. Entrance Screens – The screens for the Tent door (Exodus 26:36) and the courtyard gate (Exodus 27:16) contained argaman. Every approach to God passed through purple, subtly preaching that fellowship with the King requires cleansing and consecration.
4. Priestly Garments – The ephod, breastpiece, waistband, and robe of the high priest were all “the work of a skilled craftsman; they made them of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn” (Exodus 39:2). Purple, therefore, surrounded Israel’s intercessor, foreshadowing Christ, the final High Priest who combines royalty and priesthood in His own person.
5. Levitical Coverings – When camp broke, the Kohathites wrapped the table of the Presence “with a purple cloth” (Numbers 4:8). Even while hidden in transit, holy things retained a royal covering—a reminder that God’s glory is never diminished.

Royal and Noble Usage

1. An emblem of monarchy – Judges 8:26 notes the purple garments of Midianite kings; 2 Samuel 1:24 praises Saul for clothing Israel’s daughters “in scarlet, with luxury in their ornaments of gold” (the longer text adds purple in some manuscripts). Esther 8:15 records Mordecai leaving the king’s presence “wearing royal garments of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen”, plainly linking the color to authority.
2. Courtly reward – Belshazzar promised Daniel “You will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain around your neck” (Daniel 5:16). Even in exile, purple remained the badge of power recognized across empires.
3. Domestic prosperity – The virtuous wife “makes coverings for her bed; her clothing is fine linen and purple” (Proverbs 31:22). Godly success enjoys the best earth can offer without idolatry.
4. Economic commodity – Tyre’s trading network included “purple fabric” (Ezekiel 27:7, 24), highlighting the city’s wealth and foreshadowing its downfall when it boasted in temporal riches rather than the Lord.

Warnings and Lamentations

Jeremiah 10:9 denounces idols overlaid “with blue and purple” as the work of skillful but misguided men. Lamentations 4:5 mourns those “brought up in scarlet” now living among ruins, illustrating how earthly splendor cannot save from divine judgment. Nahum 2:3 (purple) likewise precedes Nineveh’s collapse, underscoring that ungodly power, however clothed, is temporary.

Messianic and Christological Implications

The consistent pairing of purple with priestly ministry and royal dignity anticipates Jesus Christ, mocked with a “purple robe” (Mark 15:17; John 19:2—Greek “porphyra”) yet enthroned by resurrection. Argaman thus acts as a visual prophecy: the One who would reconcile sinners combines the roles symbolized by the color—King and Priest united.

Practical Ministry Lessons

• Worship demands our best. The Israelites offered costly argaman willingly; believers today give the first and finest of their resources.
• Royalty belongs to the redeemed. Through union with Christ, the Church is “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). Purple threads in Exodus point forward to this identity.
• Earthly luxury is fleeting without holiness. Tyre’s commerce, Nineveh’s troops, and Jerusalem’s former nobles wore purple yet fell under judgment because they ignored the righteous King.

Selected References

Exodus 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36; 27:16; 28:5-8, 15, 33-34; 35:6, 23, 25, 35; 36:8, 35, 37; 38:18; 39:1-3, 5, 8, 24, 29

Numbers 4:8, 13

Judges 8:26

2 Samuel 1:24

Esther 1:6; 8:15

Proverbs 31:22

Song of Solomon 3:10; 7:5

Jeremiah 10:9

Lamentations 4:5

Ezekiel 27:7, 16, 24

Daniel 5:7, 16, 29

Nahum 2:3

אַרְגָּמָ֑ן אַרְגָּמָ֨ן אַרְגָּמָֽן׃ ארגמן ארגמן׃ בָּאַרְגָּמָ֤ן בארגמן הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֑ן הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן הָאַרְגָּמָ֗ן הארגמן וְאַרְגָּמָ֑ן וְאַרְגָּמָ֔ן וְאַרְגָּמָ֖ן וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן וְאַרְגָּמָ֣ן וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְהָֽאַרְגָּמָן֙ וּבָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן וּבָֽאַרְגָּמָ֗ן וארגמן ובארגמן והארגמן כָּאַרְגָּמָ֑ן כארגמן ’ar·gā·mān ’argāmān argaMan bā’argāmān bā·’ar·gā·mān baargaMan hā’argāmān hā·’ar·gā·mān haargaMan kā’argāmān kā·’ar·gā·mān kaargaMan ū·ḇā·’ar·gā·mān ūḇā’argāmān uvaargaMan veargaMan vehaargaMan wə’argāmān wə·’ar·gā·mān wə·hā·’ar·gā·mān wəhā’argāmānInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts