Byssus
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Topical Encyclopedia
Byssus is a term found in the Bible that refers to a fine, high-quality linen, often associated with luxury, purity, and sacredness. This fabric is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, highlighting its significance in ancient Israelite culture and religious practices.

Biblical References and Usage

Byssus is primarily noted for its use in the construction of the Tabernacle and the garments of the priests. In Exodus 26:1, the instructions for the Tabernacle include the use of "fine twisted linen" , which is understood to be byssus. This linen was used for the curtains of the Tabernacle, signifying the purity and holiness required in the dwelling place of God among His people.

The priestly garments, particularly those of the High Priest, also incorporated byssus. Exodus 28:39 describes the making of the tunic of fine linen, a key component of the High Priest's attire. The use of byssus in these garments underscored the sanctity and set-apart nature of the priestly office.

In addition to its religious applications, byssus was a symbol of wealth and status. Proverbs 31:22 mentions the virtuous woman who "makes coverings for her bed; her clothing is fine linen and purple" , indicating the association of byssus with prosperity and noble character.

Cultural and Historical Context

Byssus was highly prized in the ancient Near East for its quality and durability. The process of producing this fine linen was labor-intensive, involving the careful spinning and weaving of flax fibers. The resulting fabric was not only beautiful but also long-lasting, making it a valuable commodity.

The significance of byssus extended beyond Israel. It was a luxury item traded across the ancient world, often used by royalty and the elite. The Egyptians, known for their advanced textile production, were particularly renowned for their fine linen, which was likely similar to the byssus mentioned in the Bible.

Symbolism and Theological Implications

In the biblical narrative, byssus serves as a symbol of purity and righteousness. The use of this fine linen in the Tabernacle and priestly garments reflects the holiness required in approaching God. It represents the divine standard of purity that God demands from His people, both in worship and in daily living.

The New Testament continues this symbolism, where fine linen is associated with the righteous acts of the saints. Revelation 19:8 states, "She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints" . This imagery connects the physical purity of byssus with the spiritual purity expected of believers.

Byssus, therefore, is more than just a fabric; it is a profound symbol woven into the fabric of biblical theology, representing the intersection of divine holiness and human response.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (n.) A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.

2. (n.) A tuft of long, tough filaments which are formed in a groove of the foot, and issue from between the valves of certain bivalve mollusks, as the Pinna and Mytilus, by which they attach themselves to rocks, etc.

3. (n.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of slender threads.

4. (n.) Asbestus.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BYSSUS

bis'-us.

See LINEN.

Greek
1040. bussos -- byssus (a species of flax), also (the) linen (made ...
... byssus (a species of flax), also (the) linen (made from it). Part of Speech: Noun,
Feminine Transliteration: bussos Phonetic Spelling: (boos'-sos) Short ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1040.htm - 6k
Strong's Hebrew
948. buts -- byssus
... 947, 948. buts. 949 . byssus. Transliteration: buts Phonetic Spelling:
(boots) Short Definition: linen. Word Origin from an unused ...
/hebrew/948.htm - 6k

8336. shesh -- byssus
... 8335, 8336. shesh. 8337 . byssus. Transliteration: shesh Phonetic Spelling:
(shaysh) Short Definition: linen. Word Origin of foreign ...
/hebrew/8336.htm - 6k

3768. karpas -- cotton or fine linen
... 1). byssus or fine vegetable wool. Of foreign origin; byssus or fine vegetable
wool: 3767, 3768. karpas. 3769 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/3768.htm - 5k

Library

Second Great Group of Parables.
... the inner garment. The byssus, or fine linen of Egypt, was produced from
flax, which grew on the banks of the Nile. It was dazzlingly ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xcii second great group of 6.htm

That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action.
... For fine linen (byssus) springs from the earth with glittering show: and what is
designated by fine linen but bodily chastity shining white in the comeliness ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter iii that the ruler.htm

The Unjust Steward - Dives and Lazarus - Jewish Agricultural Notes ...
... The Parable opens by presenting to us a rich man' clothed in purple and byssus,
joyously faring every day in splendor.' All here is in character. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xviii the unjust steward.htm

Index i. Of Subjects
... Dress, etiquette in, i.620; articles of clothing, 621-623; probable dress of Christ,
624-626; byssus and purple, ii.278. Eden, Gan, ii.280, 281. See Death. ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/index i of subjects.htm

On Clothes.
... the Cilicians. I say nothing of the linens made of Amorgos [1548] and
Byssus. Luxury has outstripped nomenclature. The covering ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter xi name clothes.htm

Chapter xli
... authority. Robes of "linen" (shesh "byssus, the characteristic fine linen
of the Egyptians) were considered the most elegant. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xli.htm

The Creation of Moving Creatures.
... [1633] The Pinna is a bivalve with a silky beard, of which several species are found
in the Mediterranean. The beard is called by modern naturalists byssus. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily vii the creation of.htm

Alexandria and Rome - the Jewish Communities in the Capitals of ...
... gold-dust, ivory, and mother-of-pearl from the interior of Africa, spices from Arabia,
pearls from the Gulf of Persia, precious stones and byssus from India ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v alexandria and rome.htm

Thesaurus
Byssus (40 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Asbestus. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BYSSUS. bis'-us. See
LINEN. Multi-Version Concordance Byssus (40 Occurrences). ...
/b/byssus.htm - 19k

Byssus-workers (1 Occurrence)
Byssus-workers. Byssus, Byssus-workers. Bystanders . Multi-Version
Concordance Byssus-workers (1 Occurrence). 1 Chronicles ...
/b/byssus-workers.htm - 6k

Artistic (14 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:1 And thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of twined byssus,
and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of artistic work shalt thou ...
/a/artistic.htm - 10k

Embroidery (12 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:36 And thou shalt make for the entrance of the tent a curtain of blue,
and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, of embroidery. (DBY). ...
/e/embroidery.htm - 13k

Ornamental (4 Occurrences)
... Ornamental (4 Occurrences). Exodus 39:28 and the turban of byssus; and the ornamental
caps, of byssus; and the linen trousers, of twined byssus; (DBY). ...
/o/ornamental.htm - 7k

Caps (5 Occurrences)
... (DBY NAS RSV). Exodus 39:28 and the turban of byssus; and the ornamental caps, of
byssus; and the linen trousers, of twined byssus; (DBY NAS RSV). ...
/c/caps.htm - 7k

Vest (11 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Exodus 28:39 And thou shalt weave the vest of byssus; and thou shalt make
a turban of byssus; and thou shalt make a girdle of embroidery. (DBY). ...
/v/vest.htm - 11k

Linen (111 Occurrences)
... 22 it is rendered in Authorized Version "silk," and in Revised Version "fine linen."
The word denotes Egyptian linen of peculiar whiteness and fineness (byssus...
/l/linen.htm - 50k

Artificer (13 Occurrences)
... of heart, to work all manner of work of the engraver, and of the artificer, and
of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in byssus, and of ...
/a/artificer.htm - 11k

Entrance (190 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:36 And thou shalt make for the entrance of the tent a curtain of blue,
and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, of embroidery. (DBY NIV). ...
/e/entrance.htm - 37k

Resources
Byssus: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Byssus (40 Occurrences)

Genesis 41:42
And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in clothes of byssus, and put a gold chain on his neck.
(DBY)

Exodus 25:4
and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and byssus, and goats' hair,
(DBY)

Exodus 26:1
And thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of twined byssus, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of artistic work shalt thou make them.
(DBY)

Exodus 26:31
And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; of artistic work shall it be made, with cherubim.
(DBY)

Exodus 26:36
And thou shalt make for the entrance of the tent a curtain of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, of embroidery.
(DBY)

Exodus 27:9
And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side, southward, hangings for the court of twined byssus; a hundred cubits the length for the one side,
(DBY)

Exodus 27:16
And for the gate of the court a curtain of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, embroidered with needlework; their pillars four, and their bases four.
(DBY)

Exodus 27:18
The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty everywhere, and the height five cubits of twined byssus; and their bases of copper.
(DBY)

Exodus 28:5
And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus,
(DBY)

Exodus 28:6
and shall make the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, scarlet and twined byssus, of artistic work.
(DBY)

Exodus 28:8
And the girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to its work of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet and twined byssus.
(DBY)

Exodus 28:39
And thou shalt weave the vest of byssus; and thou shalt make a turban of byssus; and thou shalt make a girdle of embroidery.
(DBY)

Exodus 35:6
and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and byssus, and goats' hair,
(DBY)

Exodus 35:23
And every man with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and byssus, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, brought them.
(DBY)

Exodus 35:25
And every woman that was wise-hearted spun with her hands, and brought what she had spun: the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the byssus.
(DBY)

Exodus 35:35
he has filled them with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work of the engraver, and of the artificer, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in byssus, and of the weaver, even of them that do every kind of work, and of those that devise artistic work
(DBY)

Exodus 36:8
And every wise-hearted man among those that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of twined byssus, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of artistic work did he make them.
(DBY)

Exodus 36:35
And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus: of artistic work he made it with cherubim.
(DBY)

Exodus 36:37
And he made a curtain for the entrance of the tent of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, of embroidery;
(DBY)

Exodus 38:9
And he made the court. On the south side southward, the hangings of the court were of twined byssus, a hundred cubits;
(DBY)

Exodus 38:16
All the hangings of the court round about were of twined byssus;
(DBY)

Exodus 38:18
And the curtain of the gate of the court was of embroidery of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; and the length was twenty cubits, and the height like the breadth, five cubits, just as the hangings of the court;
(DBY)

Exodus 38:23
and with him Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and artificer, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in byssus.
(DBY)

Exodus 39:2
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus.
(DBY)

Exodus 39:3
And they beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it artistically into the blue, and into the purple, and into the scarlet, and into the byssus.
(DBY)

Exodus 39:5
And the girdle of his ephod, which was on it, was of the same, according to its work, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
(DBY)

Exodus 39:8
And he made the breastplate of artistic work, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus.
(DBY)

Exodus 39:27
And they made the vests of byssus of woven work, for Aaron, and for his sons;
(DBY)

Exodus 39:28
and the turban of byssus; and the ornamental caps, of byssus; and the linen trousers, of twined byssus;
(DBY)

Exodus 39:29
and the girdle, of twined byssus, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of embroidery; as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
(DBY)

1 Chronicles 15:27
And David was clothed with a robe of byssus, and all the Levites that bore the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah chief of the music of the singers; and David had upon him a linen ephod.
(DBY)

2 Chronicles 2:14
the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and whose father was a man of Tyre, experienced in working in gold, and in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in byssus, and in crimson, and for doing any manner of engraving, and for inventing every device which shall be put to him, besides thy skilful men, and the skilful men of my lord David thy father.
(DBY)

2 Chronicles 3:14
And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and byssus, and made cherubim upon it.
(DBY)

2 Chronicles 5:12
and the Levites the singers, all they of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, clad in byssus, with cymbals and lutes and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets),
(DBY)

Esther 1:6
White, green, and blue hangings were fastened with cords of byssus and purple to silver rings and pillars of white marble; couches of gold and silver lay upon a pavement of red and white marble, and alabaster, and black marble.
(DBY)

Esther 8:15
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 mantle of byssus and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad.
(DBY)

Proverbs 31:22
She maketh herself coverlets; her clothing is byssus and purple.
(DBY)

Ezekiel 16:10
and I clothed thee with embroidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I bound thee about with byssus, and covered thee with silk.
(DBY)

Ezekiel 16:13
Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was byssus, and silk, and embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou becamest exceedingly beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
(DBY)

Ezekiel 27:7
Byssus with broidered work from Egypt was thy sail, to serve thee for a banner; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning.
(DBY)

Subtopics

Byssus

Related Terms

Bystanders (9 Occurrences)

Byssus (40 Occurrences)

Lechah (1 Occurrence)

Workers (76 Occurrences)

By-paths
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