purple

The Greek that is translated as “purple” in English is translated as “blue-red” in Ojitlán Chinantec.

In Kasua was a little bit more involved, as Rachel Greco recalls (in The PNG Experience):

“The Kasua people of Western Province have no word for the color purple. They have words for many other colors: black, red, white, yellow, green, and blue, but not for the color of royalty.

“About nine New Testament passages mention people placing a purple robe on Jesus. The Kasua translation team always wanted to use the word ‘red,’ or keyalo, to describe the robe. Tommy, one of the translation team helpers, disagreed because this is not historically accurate or signifies the royalty of Jesus.

“One of the main rules of translation is that the team must stick to the historical facts when they translate a passage. If they don’t, then how can the readers trust what they’re reading is true? Other questions about truth could bubble in the reader’s minds about the Scriptures. For this reason, Tommy was not willing to change the word purple. So the team hung up the problem, hoping to revisit it later with more inspiration.

“God did not disappoint.

“Years later, Tommy hiked with some of the men near their village. They saw a tree that possessed bulbous growths growing on the side of it like fruit. These growths were ‘the most beautiful color of purple I’d ever seen,’ explained Tommy.

“’What is the name of this tree?’ Tommy asked the men.

“’This is an Okani tree,’ they replied.

“Tommy suggested, ‘Why don’t you, in those passages where we’ve been struggling to translate the color purple, use ‘they put a robe on Jesus the color of the fruit of the Okani tree’?

“’Yeah. We know exactly what color that is,’ the men said enthusiastically.

“Everyone in their village would also visualize this phrase accurately, as the Okani tree is the only tree in that area that produces this kind of purple growth. So now, among the Kasua people, in his royal purple robe, Jesus is shown to be the king that he is.”

Translation commentary on Exod 28:33 - 28:34

On its skirts refers to the “lower hem” (Good News Translation) of the robe, using the plural form to suggest a flowing skirt. You shall make is the same as in previous verses, but here it refers to special needle work. So one may say “Have them sew pictures [or, likenesses] of pomegranates.” Pomegranates are the fruit of a small tree of the same name found in west Asia and north Africa. They are red and shiny and juicy, about the size of a small apple. In the ancient Near East the tree was symbolic of fertility and long life. In cultures where pomegranates are unknown, one may borrow the term from English or use a locally known fruit with many seeds and similar in size, shape, and color to the pomegranate. It will also be helpful to have a note in the Glossary describing pomegranates.

Of blue and purple and scarlet stuff describes the colors to be used in forming the pomegranates, but it does not indicate the material. (The colors are discussed at 25.4 and the possible materials at 26.1.) Stuff is not in the Hebrew. Good News Translation has “wool,” and other translations have “yarn” (New American Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version). Some follow the Septuagint (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) and add the phrase “and fine twisted linen,” but this is not in the Masoretic Text. Around its skirts emphasizes that these pomegranates are to be “all around its lower hem” (Good News Translation).

With bells of gold between them is literally “and [small] bells of gold in their midst around.” Unlike the pomegranates, they were to be real bells of gold so that they would be heard when Aaron would move (verse 35). A golden bell and a pomegranate is repeated, to suggest that they were to be placed alternately, round about on the skirts of the robe. Good News Translation has condensed all of verses 33-34 into one short sentence, “All around its lower hem put pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool, alternating with gold bells.” However, Good News Translation doesn’t make it clear that the pomegranates were woven or sewn into the hem while the gold bells were attached in some other way. Contemporary English Version‘s rendering is also unclear. To make this point clear one may express the two verses as follows:

• Along the lower hem of the robe have them weave [or, sew] pomegranates, using blue, purple, and red thread. Also have them attach a gold bell between each pomegranate.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .