Lexical Summary tseba: Splendor, beauty, glory Original Word: צֶבַע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance divers, colors From an unused root meaning to dip (into coloring fluid); a dye -- divers, colours. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition dye, dyed stuff NASB Translation dyed work (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs צֶ֫בַע noun [masculine] dye, dyed stuff; — construct ׳רִקְמָתַיִם צ Judges 5:30 (perhaps strike out ׳צ, compare GFM); plural שְׁלַל צְבָעִים booty of dyed stuffs Judges 5:30; Judges 5:30. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scope צֶבַע (tsévaʿ) denotes richly dyed or embroidered cloth—garments prized for their vivid colors and intricate needlework. In the ancient Near East, the ability to fix vibrant dyes to fabric required costly materials (such as murex‐derived purple or madder red) and skilled artisans, so such clothing became a symbol of status, military plunder, and feminine craftsmanship. Biblical Occurrence The term appears three times, all within Judges 5:30, where Sisera’s mother and her ladies‐in‐waiting imagine the Canaanite commander returning from battle laden with “a girl or two for each man” and “colorful garments as plunder”. Their repeated mention of צֶבַע underscores the anticipated abundance: “Colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered—two embroidered garments for the necks of the spoil” (Judges 5:30). The repetition heightens the irony of the Song of Deborah and Barak. While the women picture Sisera adorning himself and them with splendid textiles, the reader knows he has fallen beneath Jael’s tent peg (Judges 4:17–22). The vivid fabrics thus become a literary device exposing the emptiness of human pride opposed to the purposes of God. Historical Background 1. Dye Technology: Extracting durable pigments demanded specialized knowledge. Purple dyes obtained from Mediterranean mollusks and reds from plant sources rendered colored cloth a luxury commodity. Theological Themes • Divine Reversal: The glittering prize anticipated by Sisera’s household never arrives, reinforcing the motif that “the LORD brings low and He exalts” (1 Samuel 2:7). Connections with Wider Biblical Imagery • Tabernacle Fabrics: Exodus repeatedly notes blue, purple, and scarlet yarns (Exodus 26:1), linking color with sacred beauty dedicated to God, in contrast to Canaanite spoils sought for self‐indulgence. Ministry and Practical Implications 1. Contentment: Believers are exhorted to value godliness over material display (1 Timothy 6:6–8). Summary צֶבַע serves as more than a technical term for dyed fabric; it functions as a narrative symbol. In Judges 5 it exposes misplaced trust in plunder, magnifies the Lord’s decisive intervention, and invites readers to weigh temporal allure against eternal allegiance. Thus even this single‐verse word enriches our understanding of Scripture’s consistent testimony to God’s sovereignty over history and human aspiration. Forms and Transliterations צְבָעִ֖ים צְבָעִים֙ צֶ֥בַע צבע צבעים ṣe·ḇa‘ ṣə·ḇā·‘îm ṣeḇa‘ ṣəḇā‘îm Tzeva tzevaImLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 5:30 HEB: גֶּ֔בֶר שְׁלַ֤ל צְבָעִים֙ לְסִ֣יסְרָ֔א שְׁלַ֥ל NAS: a spoil of dyed work, KJV: a prey of divers colours, a prey INT: warrior A spoil of dyed to Sisera A spoil Judges 5:30 Judges 5:30 3 Occurrences |
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