Biblical Context: Purple

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 

– Matthew 27:28-29

And they clothed in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 

– Mark 15:17-18

The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 

– John 19:2-3

Along the Mediterranean coast, north of Israel, was the nation of Phoenicia, a sea-faring collection of independent city states. It was a long narrow country stretching from Laodicea to the north to Tyre and Sidon to the south, covering much of modern-day Lebanon. Phoenicians were renowned seamen – the short coastal plain was hemmed in by mountains to the east, so the sea became the basis of the nation’s economy and identity. As well, their lush vegetation and vast cedar forests allowed for exceptional shipbuilding and timber export throughout the Middle East. Prolific Phoenician trade routes led to Mediterranean dominance, with colonies established throughout northern Africa and southwestern Europe. The Phoenicians also developed a system of writing that became the basis of various modern alphabets. The name Phoenicia means “purple land,” in reference to the purple dyes produced there.

Purple was the most precious of ancient dyes, made from the desiccated (dried) mucous glands of Murex sea snails. The process of extracting the pigmented glands from the spiny shells was notoriously stinky and laborious. Hundreds of thousands of mollusks were needed to produce even a small amount, making it very costly. Purple fabric was part of Israel’s Tabernacle and Jerusalem’s Temple. It was also the color of royal robes, like the one Mark and John record that Jesus wore.

Matthew, however, recorded that Jesus wore a red robe. Unlike purple from shellfish, red dye in first century Judea was produced from the dried bodies of female Kermes insects. These small bugs feed on the sap of oak trees indigenous to the Mediterranean region. Their dried bodies were crushed to produce a rich red dye that was used throughout Europe until the Middle Ages. The English words “crimson” and “carmine” – both referring to deep red – are derived from the Greek word kermes.

Whatever the color of Jesus’ robe, both purple and red dyes were considered luxurious and typically reserved for the rich and royalty. It may have been an old military cloak from the soldiers’ barracks.

© D. B. Ryen Incorporated, 2019-2025.

All Scripture quotations are from The English Standard Bible (ESV). Crossway, 2001. Map of Phoenicia adapted from The Story of Jesus: All Four Gospels In One. Murex and Kermes images public domain, courtesy of Wikipedia.