4209. porphura

Lexicon

porphura: Purple

Original Word: πορφύρα
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: porphura
Pronunciation: por-FOO-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (por-foo'-rah)
Definition: Purple
Meaning: a purple garment, indicating power or wealth.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

purple

Of Latin origin; the "purple" mussel, i.e. (by implication) the red-blue color itself, and finally a garment dyed with it -- purple.

HELPS Word-studies

4209 porphýra – purple, symbolic of "royal status" (L & N, 1, 79.38). There were three familiar shades of purple in the ancient world: deep violet, deep scarlet (or crimson), and deep blue (WP, 2, 220).

Prov 31:22 associates purple with "godly (ideal) femininity," i.e. "righteous femaleness."

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
probably from a redupl. derivation of phuró (to mix dry with wet)
Definition
purple fish, purple dye, purple cloth
NASB Translation
purple (3), purple robe (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4209: πορφύρα

πορφύρα, πορφύρας, ἡ, the Sept. for אַרְגָמָן;

1. the purple-fish, a species of shell-fish or mussel: (Aeschylus, Sophocles), Isocrates, Aristotle, others; add 1 Macc. 4:23, on which see Grimm; (cf. B. D., under the word 1).

2. a fabric colored with the purple dye, a garment made from purple cloth (so from Aeschylus down): Mark 15:17, 20; Luke 16:19; Revelation 17:4 Rec.; .

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek word for "purple," referring to the dye or the fabric colored with it.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with the concept of purple is אַרְגָּמָן (argaman • Strong's Hebrew 713), which similarly denotes purple dye or garments and is used in the Old Testament to describe items of luxury and royal apparel.

Usage: The term πορφύρα is used in the New Testament to denote the color purple, often associated with wealth, royalty, and luxury. It appears in contexts describing garments or items of high value.

Context: The term πορφύρα (porphyra) is significant in the cultural and historical context of the Bible. In ancient times, purple dye was extracted from the murex shellfish, a labor-intensive process that made purple garments extremely expensive and a symbol of high status and authority. This is reflected in the New Testament, where purple is often associated with wealth and nobility.

In the Berean Standard Bible, πορφύρα is mentioned in several passages. For instance, in Mark 15:17, the soldiers clothed Jesus in a purple robe as a mockery of His claim to kingship: "They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head." This act of mockery underscores the irony of Jesus' true kingship, which contrasts with earthly perceptions of power and authority.

In Luke 16:19, the rich man is described as wearing purple and fine linen, highlighting his wealth and luxurious lifestyle: "Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor." This parable contrasts the temporal wealth of the rich man with the eternal values of the kingdom of God.

The use of πορφύρα in the New Testament serves as a reminder of the transient nature of earthly riches and the true value found in spiritual wealth. It also reflects the societal structures of the time, where color and clothing were indicators of one's social and economic status.

Forms and Transliterations

πορφύρα πορφυραν πορφύραν πορφυρας πορφύρας πορφυρίδων πορφυρίωνα πορφυρού porphuran porphuras porphyran porphýran porphyras porphýras

Englishman's Concordance

Mark 15:17 N-AFS
GRK: ἐνδιδύσκουσιν αὐτὸν πορφύραν καὶ περιτιθέασιν
NAS: They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting
KJV: him with purple, and
INT: they put on him purple [garment] and placed on

Mark 15:20 N-AFS
GRK: αὐτὸν τὴν πορφύραν καὶ ἐνέδυσαν
NAS: Him, they took the purple robe off
KJV: they took off the purple from him,
INT: him the purple [garment] and put on

Luke 16:19 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ ἐνεδιδύσκετο πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον
NAS: and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen,
KJV: was clothed in purple and
INT: and he was clothed in purple and fine linen

Revelation 18:12 N-GFS
GRK: βυσσίνου καὶ πορφύρας καὶ σιρικοῦ
NAS: and fine linen and purple and silk
KJV: fine linen, and purple, and silk,
INT: of fine linen and of purple and of silk

Strong's Greek 4209
4 Occurrences

πορφύραν — 3 Occ.
πορφύρας — 1 Occ.