I consulted with a historical costumer (my wife) and received the following insights:
Fine colors
The colors selected were rare, difficult to produce, and carried symbolic meaning:
- Blue/Violet - heaven, sky, abode of God (note that Tyrian purple could produce a range of blue-purple shades)
- Purple - royalty
- Scarlet - can refer to a type of weave or color (see Appendix)
Most people did not wear these colors; the attire of the priests set them apart, reflecting the sanctity of the temple.
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Linen vs. Wool
Linen fiber is cellulose, long & skinny (from bottom to top of the flax plant), wool is a protein fiber twisted upon itself, creating lots of spaces for dye to reside, making wool much easier to dye.
Dyeing linen to great visual effect would (unlike wool) require using a mordant, which weakens the integrity of the textile. This was not desirable for a garment intended to last for generations (see below)
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Spun or embroidered
Deut. 22:11 & Lev. 19:19 indicate that the Israelites were not to spin linen & wool fibers together.
Embroidering wool on linen is therefore much more likely. Much better colors are obtained by dying wool (vs linen); linen creates a smooth, easy-to-stitch base surface.
The garment probably consisted of undyed white linen worn against the skin (easy to wash) with expensive wool embroidery over it. If the gold were woven into the linen it would be (nearly) impossible to wash/clean the garment. The more expensive attire was designed to be long-lasting, passed from father to son (see Exodus 29:29) and therefore had to be something that could be cleaned.
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Conclusion
Gold metal thread & brightly colored woolen thread were embroidered onto a fine linen surface.
Appendix-Scarlet
The meaning of the word “scarlet” has changed since the time of the King James translators, and with it, the interpretation we read back onto Hebrew, Greek, and English texts.
In the English of Tudor fashion (just drawing to a close when KJV was written), “scarlet” was a reference to a specific type of high-quality woven wool. Because it was a luxury item, it was often dyed in expensive colors, such as the eye-catching red we now associate with the word “scarlet”.
Definitions in Tudor English:
- Scarlet: “Broadcloth of the highest quality; dyed in kermes, usually
red. Used for petticoats, waistcoats, hose, gowns, cloaks, linings.”
- Broadcloth: “Finest woollen cloth, 54 to 63 inches wide (hence the
name), of plain weave, with a weft of good-quality carded
short-staple wool, well-fulled, a nap raised on it and then sheared;
for gowns, coats, cassocks”
(definitions are taken from “The Tudor Tailor – Reconstructing sixteenth-century dress” p. 36)
The Tudor Tailor definitions for these words cite sources from 1546, 1573, and 1592, the later of which would be well within the lifetimes of the future King James translators.
