Complete Bible Study Guide

What Does the Bible Say About Colors?

119 Scripture references with full text and commentary

Understanding Colors in the Bible

Explore what the Bible says about colors. This collection of 2 key Scripture passages reveals God's wisdom and guidance on this important theme.

119
Total Verses
85
Old Testament
15
New Testament

Top 10 Verses About Colors

  1. 1
    Exodus 24:10
    And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
    KJV
  2. 2
    Exodus 25:3
    And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, offering: or, heave offering
    KJV
  3. 3
    Exodus 25:4
    And blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine linen, and goats' hair, fine: or, silk
    KJV
  4. 4
    Exodus 26:1
    Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet : with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. of cunning: Heb. the work of a cunning workman, or, embroiderer
    KJV
  5. 5
    Exodus 26:14
    And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.
    KJV
  6. 6
    Exodus 26:31
    And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
    KJV
  7. 7
    Exodus 26:36
    And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
    KJV
  8. 8
    Exodus 27:16
    And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework : and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
    KJV
  9. 9
    Exodus 28:4
    And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
    KJV
  10. 10
    Exodus 28:15
    And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet , and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.
    KJV

Subtopics of Colors

colors of the rainbow
joseph had a coat of many colors
Symbolical uses of
BLACK: A SYMBOL OF AFFLICTION AND CALAMITY
BLUE: SYMBOL OF DEITY
For additional reference, see passages below under CRIMSON
SYMBOL OF ROYALTY
CRIMSON, RED, PURPLE, AND SCARLET, SYMBOLS OF VARIOUS IDEAS
Of iniquity
Of royalty
Prosperity
Conquest
These colors figured largely in the symbolisms of the tabernacle furnishing, and priestly vestments and functions, as types and shadows of the atonement
WHITE: SYMBOL OF HOLINESS
The high priest's holy garments were made of white linen
Choir singers were arrayed in white
SCRIPTURES EMPLOYING THE SYMBOL

Old Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Colors? (85 Verses)

And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, offering: or, heave offering
And blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine linen, and goats' hair, fine: or, silk
Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet : with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. of cunning: Heb. the work of a cunning workman, or, embroiderer
And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.
And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework : and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet , and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.
And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.
And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet , round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: hem: or, skirts
And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.
And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet , and of fine linen.
Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet , and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.
And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet : with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that.
And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.
And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen, of needlework ; of needlework: Heb. the work of a needleworker or, embroiderer
And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework , of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.
And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet , and fine linen.
And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet , they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen.
And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet , and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and twined linen.
And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet , of needlework ; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet , and hyssop: birds: or, sparrows
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet , and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet , and hyssop:
And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet , and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet :
He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: consecrate: Heb. fill his hand
And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:
And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: cover: or, pour out withal
And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet , and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:
And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:
And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet , and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.
And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks. collars: or, sweet jewels
And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. blue: or, violet
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. stain: or, challenge let the: or, let them terrify it, as those who have a bitter day
Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone , that I may take comfort a little,
When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. scarlet: or, double garments
Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. sorrow: or, distress and the light: or, when it is light, it shall be dark in the destructions thereof
And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. fuel: Heb. meat
There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. glorious: Heb. decked
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. aloud: Cald. with might scarlet: or, purple
And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. make interpretations: Cald. interpret, etc
Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. try them: or, try by them
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. blackness: Heb. pot
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. decision: or, concision, or, threshing
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:
The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. in scarlet: or, dyed scarlet flaming: or, fiery
She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

New Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Colors? (15 Verses)

But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter , James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart ,
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. was: or, had been
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book , and all the people, scarlet: or, purple
Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

How to Study What the Bible Says About Colors

  1. 1

    Begin by reading through every verse listed on this page, noting which ones speak most directly to your current season of life. Write them down and revisit them throughout the week.

  2. 2

    Use a concordance or the search tools on this site to find additional passages about colors. Look for patterns across both the Old and New Testaments to gain a complete picture of what God reveals on this subject.

  3. 3

    Study the context of each verse. Read the surrounding chapter to understand who was speaking, who the audience was, and what circumstances prompted the passage. Context prevents misapplication.

  4. 4

    Memorise at least one key verse about colors and meditate on it daily. Scripture memory transforms thinking and equips you to apply God's Word in real-time situations.

Practical Application

Studying what the Bible says about colors is only the beginning. Scripture is meant to be lived out in daily obedience and faith. Here are practical steps to apply these truths:

  • Identify one area of your life where the biblical teaching on colors needs to be applied more consistently. Write a specific, actionable step you can take this week.

  • Share what you have learned about colors with a fellow believer or in a small group setting. Teaching others solidifies your own understanding and encourages mutual growth.

  • Pray through the key verses about colors, asking God to reveal how His Word applies to your relationships, decisions, and daily habits.

How Well Do You Know What the Bible Says About Colors?

You have studied 119 verses about colors. Now test your knowledge with chapter-by-chapter quizzes covering the books where these verses appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Bible say about colors?
Explore what the Bible says about colors. This collection of 2 key Scripture passages reveals God's wisdom and guidance on this important theme. The Bible contains 119 key verses about colors spanning both Old and New Testaments.
How many Bible verses about colors are there?
There are 119 key Bible verses about colors compiled in this study guide, drawn from books across both the Old and New Testaments.
What is the best verse about colors?
One of the most well-known and frequently cited verses about colors is Exodus 24:10 — "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his cle..."
Where in the Bible does it talk about colors?
Colors is discussed throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. You can find 119 references to this topic across multiple books including the Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Epistles.

Continue Studying Colors