8504. tekeleth
Lexical Summary
tekeleth: Blue, violet, purple

Original Word: תְּכֵלֶת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: tkeleth
Pronunciation: teh-KAY-leth
Phonetic Spelling: (tek-ay'-leth)
KJV: blue
NASB: blue, violet, purple
Word Origin: [probably for H7827 (שְׁחֵלֶת - onycha)]

1. the cerulean mussel, i.e. the color (violet) obtained therefrom or stuff dyed therewith

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
blue

Probably for shcheleth; the cerulean mussel, i.e. The color (violet) obtained therefrom or stuff dyed therewith -- blue.

see HEBREW shcheleth

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
violet, violet thread
NASB Translation
blue (43), purple (1), violet (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
תְּכֵ֫לֶת48 noun feminine violet, i.e. violet thread and stuff; ᵐ5 usually υἄκινθος, υἀκίθινος; see ThatcherHast. DB COLOURS (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; ᵑ7 תִּכְלָא); —

1 violet thread (spun, Exodus 35:25; woven, Exodus 39:3):

a. in Exodus (P) of hangings of tabernacle, ephod, etc., ׳ת + אַרְגָּמָן, תּוֺלַעַת שָׁנִי (q. v.; often also שֵׁשׁ, זהב), Exodus 25:4; Exodus 26:1; Exodus 28:5,6,33; Exodus 35:25 20t.; of temple hangings (+ אַרְגָּמָן, אַרְגְּוָן, כַּרְמִיל, בּוּץ) 2 Chron 2:6; 2 Chronicles 2:13; 2 Chronicles 2:14; loops or cords of ׳ת (alone) Exodus 26:4; Exodus 28:28,31,37; Exodus 36:11; Exodus 39:21,22,31; Numbers 15:38 (all P).

b. palace hangings in Shushan + חוּר Esther 1:6.

2 violet stuff, fabric.; ׳לְבוּשֵׁי ת Ezekiel 23:6, ׳גְּלוֺמֵי ת וְרִקְמָה Ezekiel 27:24; וְאַרְגָּמָן לְבוּשָׁם ׳ת Jeremiah 10:9; also in trade Ezekiel 27:7 (+ אַרְגָּמָן, שֵׁשׁ בְּרִקְמָה), compare ׳בֶּגֶד ת for covering sacred utensils Numbers 4:6,7,9,11,12 (P).

Topical Lexicon
Term and General Meaning

تְּכֵלֶת (teḵēlet) is the vivid blue-violet wool obtained from a rare mollusk dye, consistently linked with worship, royalty, and covenant identity in Israel.

Occurrences and Distribution

Roughly forty-nine references span Exodus through Ezekiel, with the greatest concentration (twenty-seven) in Exodus 25–39 describing the tabernacle. Subsequent mentions appear in Numbers, 2 Chronicles, Esther, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

Cultic and Liturgical Applications

Moses was instructed, “Collect blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, and goat hair” (Exodus 25:4). Teḵēlet threads were woven into every curtain, veil, and screen of the sanctuary, visually proclaiming that worship is conducted before the God of heaven.

Priestly Vestments

• Ephod: “of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn” (Exodus 28:6).
• Robe: “all of blue” (Exodus 28:31), hemmed with alternating blue pomegranates and gold bells (28:33-34).
• Frontlet: the golden plate engraved “Holy to the LORD” was fastened “by a cord of blue” (28:37).

Thus the high priest was encircled by teḵēlet whenever he represented the nation before God.

Tabernacle and Temple Furnishings

Curtains (Exodus 26:1), inner veil (26:31), and entrance screen (26:36) combined blue with purple, scarlet, and fine linen. For Solomon’s temple Huram-Abi supplied “blue, purple, and crimson yarn” (2 Chronicles 2:7), and the great veil contained the same palette (2 Chronicles 3:14), signaling continuity between tabernacle and temple.

Covenant Reminder in Tassels

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments… with a cord of blue on each tassel” (Numbers 15:38-39). The visible strand of teḵēlet reminded every Israelite to “remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them.”

Royal and Secular Use

Mordecai emerged “in royal garments of blue and white” (Esther 8:15). Jeremiah notes that idols were clothed “in blue and purple” (Jeremiah 10:9), revealing the hue’s prestige even among the nations. Ezekiel’s oracle against Tyre describes traders dealing in “blue and embroidered cloth” (Ezekiel 27:24), attesting to its commercial value.

Symbolic and Theological Implications

1. Heavenward orientation: Blue mirrors the sky, directing worshipers’ gaze toward God’s throne (cf. Exodus 24:10).
2. Royal authority: Worn by kings and priests, it prefigures the unified kingship and priesthood of the Messiah.
3. Holiness and obedience: The tassel thread links sight to memory, turning theology into daily practice.
4. Mediation: The seamless priestly robe foreshadows the perfect mediation of Christ.

Historical and Material Aspects

Rabbinic testimony and archaeology identify the dye source as the Mediterranean murex snail. Labor-intensive extraction and sunlight-dependent processing explain the color’s expense and why the knowledge later faded. Dye vats uncovered along Phoenician coastlines corroborate Ezekiel’s description of Tyre’s trade in teḵēlet.

Typological and Christological Reflections

The high priest’s seamless blue robe (Exodus 28:32) anticipates the seamless garment of Jesus (John 19:23-24). As blue linked priest and sanctuary, so Christ unites heaven and earth, bearing His people’s names before the Father.

Contemporary Ministry Application

While ceremonial requirements have been fulfilled, teḵēlet still instructs. Believers, a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), cultivate visible and habitual reminders of God’s Word, adorn worship with symbols that lift eyes heavenward, and proclaim the majesty signified by ancient blue.

Key References

Exodus 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36; 28:6, 31-37; 35:6, 23, 25; Numbers 15:38-41; 2 Chronicles 2:7, 14; 3:14; Esther 1:6; 8:15; Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 23:6; 27:7, 24.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּתְּכֵ֙לֶת֙ בַּתְּכֵ֣לֶת בתכלת הַתְּכֵ֖לֶת הַתְּכֵ֙לֶת֙ הַתְּכֵ֤לֶת התכלת וּתְכֵ֔לֶת וּתְכֵ֗לֶת וּתְכֵ֤לֶת וּתְכֵ֧לֶת ותכלת תְּכֵ֔לֶת תְּכֵ֖לֶת תְּכֵ֗לֶת תְּכֵ֣לֶת תְּכֵ֤לֶת תְּכֵ֥לֶת תְּכֵ֧לֶת תְּכֵ֨לֶת תְּכֵֽלֶת׃ תְּכֵלֶת֒ תְכֵ֙לֶת֙ תכלת תכלת׃ bat·tə·ḵê·leṯ batteChelet battəḵêleṯ hat·tə·ḵê·leṯ hatteChelet hattəḵêleṯ tə·ḵê·leṯ ṯə·ḵê·leṯ teChelet təḵêleṯ ṯəḵêleṯ ū·ṯə·ḵê·leṯ uteChelet ūṯəḵêleṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 25:4
HEB: וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: blue, purple and scarlet
KJV: And blue, and purple, and scarlet,
INT: blue purple oppressor

Exodus 26:1
HEB: שֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֗ר וּתְכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתֹלַ֣עַת
NAS: linen and blue and purple
KJV: linen, and blue, and purple,
INT: of fine twisted and blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 26:4
HEB: וְעָשִׂ֜יתָ לֻֽלְאֹ֣ת תְּכֵ֗לֶת עַ֣ל שְׂפַ֤ת
NAS: loops of blue on the edge
KJV: loops of blue upon the edge
INT: shall make loops of blue on the edge

Exodus 26:31
HEB: וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ פָרֹ֗כֶת תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: a veil of blue and purple
KJV: a vail [of] blue, and purple,
INT: shall make A veil of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 26:36
HEB: לְפֶ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: of the tent of blue and purple
KJV: of the tent, [of] blue, and purple,
INT: the doorway of the tent of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 27:16
HEB: עֶשְׂרִ֣ים אַמָּ֗ה תְּכֵ֨לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן וְתוֹלַ֧עַת
NAS: cubits, of blue and purple
KJV: cubits, [of] blue, and purple,
INT: of twenty cubits of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 28:5
HEB: הַזָּהָ֔ב וְאֶת־ הַתְּכֵ֖לֶת וְאֶת־ הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֑ן
NAS: the gold and the blue and the purple
KJV: gold, and blue, and purple,
INT: shall take the gold and the blue and the purple oppressor

Exodus 28:6
HEB: הָאֵפֹ֑ד זָ֠הָב תְּכֵ֨לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן תּוֹלַ֧עַת
NAS: of gold, of blue and purple
KJV: [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple,
INT: the ephod of gold of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 28:8
HEB: יִהְיֶ֑ה זָהָ֗ב תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: material: of gold, of blue and purple
KJV: thereof; [even of] gold, [of] blue, and purple,
INT: become of gold of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 28:15
HEB: תַּעֲשֶׂ֑נּוּ זָ֠הָב תְּכֵ֨לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן וְתוֹלַ֧עַת
NAS: it: of gold, of blue and purple
KJV: it; [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple,
INT: shall make of gold of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 28:28
HEB: הָאֵפֹד֙ בִּפְתִ֣יל תְּכֵ֔לֶת לִֽהְי֖וֹת עַל־
NAS: of the ephod with a blue cord,
KJV: with a lace of blue, that [it] may be above the curious girdle
INT: of the ephod cord A blue become above

Exodus 28:31
HEB: הָאֵפ֖וֹד כְּלִ֥יל תְּכֵֽלֶת׃
NAS: of the ephod all of blue.
KJV: of the ephod all [of] blue.
INT: of the ephod all of blue

Exodus 28:33
HEB: שׁוּלָ֗יו רִמֹּנֵי֙ תְּכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתוֹלַ֣עַת
NAS: pomegranates of blue and purple
KJV: pomegranates [of] blue, and [of] purple,
INT: hem pomegranates of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 28:37
HEB: עַל־ פְּתִ֣יל תְּכֵ֔לֶת וְהָיָ֖ה עַל־
NAS: You shall fasten it on a blue cord,
KJV: And thou shalt put it on a blue lace,
INT: and cord A blue become shall be on

Exodus 35:6
HEB: וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: and blue, purple and scarlet
KJV: And blue, and purple, and scarlet,
INT: and blue purple oppressor

Exodus 35:23
HEB: נִמְצָ֣א אִתּ֗וֹ תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: in his possession blue and purple
KJV: with whom was found blue, and purple,
INT: had his possession blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 35:25
HEB: מַטְוֶ֗ה אֶֽת־ הַתְּכֵ֙לֶת֙ וְאֶת־ הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן
NAS: what they had spun, [in] blue and purple
KJV: that which they had spun, [both] of blue, and of purple,
INT: and brought what blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 35:35
HEB: וְחֹשֵׁב֒ וְרֹקֵ֞ם בַּתְּכֵ֣לֶת וּבָֽאַרְגָּמָ֗ן בְּתוֹלַ֧עַת
NAS: and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple
KJV: and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple,
INT: A designer an embroiderer blue purple oppressor

Exodus 36:8
HEB: שֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֗ר וּתְכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתוֹלַ֣עַת
NAS: linen and blue and purple
KJV: linen, and blue, and purple,
INT: of fine twisted and blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 36:11
HEB: וַיַּ֜עַשׂ לֻֽלְאֹ֣ת תְּכֵ֗לֶת עַ֣ל שְׂפַ֤ת
NAS: loops of blue on the edge
KJV: loops of blue on the edge
INT: made loops of blue on the edge

Exodus 36:35
HEB: אֶת־ הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: the veil of blue and purple
KJV: a vail [of] blue, and purple,
INT: made the veil of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 36:37
HEB: לְפֶ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: of the tent, of blue and purple
KJV: door [of] blue, and purple,
INT: the doorway of the tent of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 38:18
HEB: מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה רֹקֵ֔ם תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: of the weaver, of blue and purple
KJV: [was] needlework, [of] blue, and purple,
INT: was the work of the weaver of blue and purple oppressor

Exodus 38:23
HEB: וְחֹשֵׁ֑ב וְרֹקֵ֗ם בַּתְּכֵ֙לֶת֙ וּבָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן וּבְתוֹלַ֥עַת
NAS: and a weaver in blue and in purple
KJV: and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple,
INT: skillful weaver blue purple oppressor

Exodus 39:1
HEB: וּמִן־ הַתְּכֵ֤לֶת וְהָֽאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתוֹלַ֣עַת
NAS: Moreover, from the blue and purple
KJV: And of the blue, and purple,
INT: from the blue and purple oppressor

49 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8504
49 Occurrences


bat·tə·ḵê·leṯ — 3 Occ.
hat·tə·ḵê·leṯ — 4 Occ.
tə·ḵê·leṯ — 35 Occ.
ū·ṯə·ḵê·leṯ — 7 Occ.

8503
Top of Page
Top of Page