2353. chur
Lexical Summary
chur: Hole, white, noble, or free

Original Word: חוּר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chuwr
Pronunciation: khoor
Phonetic Spelling: (khoor)
KJV: white
NASB: white
Word Origin: [from H2357 (חָרַר - turn pale)]

1. white linen

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
white linen

From chavar; white linen -- white.

see HEBREW chavar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from chavar
Definition
white stuff
NASB Translation
white (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. חוּר noun [masculine] white stuff (dubious whether cotton or linen, compare כַּרְמַּס), "" תְּכֵלֶת: — of Mordecai's garments בִּלְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת תְּכֵלֶת וָחוּר Esther 8:15a in a royal garment of violet and white stuff (compare וְתַכְרִיךְ בּוּץ וְאַרְגָּמָן vb); of furnishings of royal palace of Susa כַּרְמַּס וּתְכֵלֶת אֶחוּז בְּחַבְלֵיבֿוּץ ׳ח וְאַרְגָּמָן Esther 1:6 white stuff of fine linen (?) held fast by cords of byssus and purple.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 2353 designates an exquisite, gleaming fabric that appears only in the Book of Esther. The term points to brilliant white material—normally linen—used both as palace décor and as royal apparel in the Persian court. Though geographically distant from Zion and set amid Gentile opulence, its two occurrences become instruments in the providential preservation of the covenant people.

Occurrences in Esther

Esther 1:6 records that at Ahasuerus’ opening banquet, “There were hangings of white and violet linen fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rings and marble pillars”. The material signals unrivaled luxury and sets the scene for a king who can dispose of queens—yet cannot thwart God’s redemptive plan.
Esther 8:15 depicts the climactic reversal: “Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced”. The same brilliant textile that embellished pagan revelry now adorns the covenant guardian who safeguards the Jews.

Cultural Context in the Persian Court

Archaeological finds from Achaemenid palaces confirm that dyed or bleached linen hangings, often paired with purple and blue, were status symbols. Such fabric had to be imported, processed, and carefully protected from staining. It signaled authority, purity of rank, and the wealth to maintain immaculate attire amid desert dust. Esther’s author employs this fabric as a literary device to contrast earthly splendor with the unseen sovereignty of God.

Symbolic Overtones of Whiteness and Linen

1. Purity: White in Scripture evokes cleansing and righteousness (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18).
2. Triumph: After deliverance, Mordecai’s white garment foreshadows the promise that God’s people will be clothed in victory (Zechariah 3:4–5).
3. Priest-Like Mediation: Linen continually appears in priestly garb (Exodus 28:39) and even on heavenly beings (Daniel 10:5). Mordecai, though a civil servant, functions as an intercessor for the nation, prefiguring the High Priestly ministry ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
4. Eschatological Righteousness: Revelation 19:8 identifies “fine linen, bright and pure” with “the righteous deeds of the saints.” Esther’s narrative provides an Old Testament anticipation of that future clothing.

Biblical-Theological Connections

• Reversal and Garment Imagery: Scripture often couples clothing changes with covenantal turning points—Joseph’s robe exchanged for Egyptian linen (Genesis 41:42), the prodigal’s best robe (Luke 15:22). Mordecai’s adoption of royal white signals the turning of the decree of death into a proclamation of life.
• Light Versus Darkness: White fabric in the midnight backdrop of a pagan feast reminds the reader that God’s light infiltrates every kingdom (John 1:5).
• Corporate Identity: The material is displayed publicly—first as festive décor, later as civic celebration—illustrating how God’s deliverance is never private but communal.

Ministry Application

1. Encouragement amid Secular Settings: Believers serving in governments or corporations can take heart that God works through their integrity just as He did through Mordecai.
2. Visual Aids for Teaching Purim: Using white linen during a Purim celebration can help congregations grasp the narrative’s dramatic reversal.
3. Call to Personal Holiness: The brilliance of the fabric challenges the church to pursue purity, echoing Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 5:27 that Christ seeks a bride “without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish.”

Related Terms and Concepts

• Fine linen (shesh) in Tabernacle and priestly garments.
• Biblical color symbolism: blue (heavenly authority), purple (royalty), white (purity).
• Garment imagery in salvation history: coverings in Genesis 3:21; Joshua’s filthy and clean garments in Zechariah 3:3–5; the wedding garments in Matthew 22:11–14.

Summary

The two discreet flashes of חוּר in Esther illuminate far more than palace luxury. They frame a account in which God clothes His servant with honor, turns mourning into joy, and foreshadows the day when every believer will stand “clothed in white garments” before the throne (Revelation 3:5).

Forms and Transliterations
וָח֔וּר וחור ח֣וּר ׀ חור chur ḥūr vaChur wā·ḥūr wāḥūr
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Esther 1:6
HEB: ח֣וּר ׀ כַּרְפַּ֣ס וּתְכֵ֗לֶת
NAS: [There were hangings of] fine white and violet
KJV: [Where were] white, green, and blue,
INT: white fine and violet

Esther 8:15
HEB: מַלְכוּת֙ תְּכֵ֣לֶת וָח֔וּר וַעֲטֶ֤רֶת זָהָב֙
NAS: of blue and white, with a large
KJV: of blue and white, and with a great
INT: royal of blue and white crown of gold

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2353
2 Occurrences


ḥūr — 1 Occ.
wā·ḥūr — 1 Occ.

2352b
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