Yellow in the Bible: Understanding Symbolism and Meaning | Think about things like that (2023)

In this article, we will look at the color yellow in the Bible. We will see what the Bible says about spiritual and symbolic meaning. So grab your Bible and let's study…

When it comes to cheerful colors, I think we can safely say that yellow prevails. We think of sun, lemon, summer and many other bright things.

Even this quote from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe conveys what most of us think about the color yellow,

"We have found from experience that yellow evokes a warm and pleasant impression... The eye is delighted, the heart is widened and gladdened, the brightness seems to be suddenly breathing towards us."

But when trying to figure out the biblical symbolic meaning, we have to look to one source, and that is the Holy Scriptures. From there we can reach our conclusion.

Yellow in the Bible: An In-Depth Look (Sort of)

You may have read the title of this section and thought...what does "species” means. Well, the thing is, the color yellow isn't really mentioned much in scripture. So we can only go so far in our study of it.

How many times is the color yellow mentioned in the Bible?

The color yellow appears only 4 times in the KJV verses. And three of those four phenomena refer to plague symptoms.

What does yellow mean in Hebrew?

The first three phenomena are from the description of hair that has turned yellow due to illness:

tsahobtsâhôb,Taw-obe'; izH6668; of a golden color:—yellow.

This word foryellowit is mentioned in Psalms 68 to describe the feathers of a dove:

יְרַקְרַקyᵉraqraq,because-ak-rak'; from the same asH3418; yellowishness:—greenish, yellow.

Finding meaning beyond words, yellow

What we can conclude from the use of the color yellow in Scripture is that it is associated with disease. But we should not stop there, the color yellow is represented in many symbols of the Bible. The four that stand out are fire, gold, honey and oil! They are all yellow in color and carry a rich spiritual meaning.

Fire is yellow

We can argue that fire is also sometimes red, orange and even blue. But it is also yellow, so we see the connection between color and element.

Fire is chemical combustion that releases heat and light. It was used daily as part of animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. We also see that it is used in both negative and positive attitudes.

Because one God is called a consuming fire in Hebrews 12:29. He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and the Holy Spirit uses himrefinery fireto purify us. This is known as holy fire! It is fire that brings purification and cleansing.

Purification potisfor silver and a furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts. – Proverbs 17:3

For the biblical authors, fire represented God's power, protection and holiness. Fire can be seen even in the sky. (Isaiah 6)

But fire also represents God's wrath and judgment. Deuteronomy 4:24 states that God is a jealous God and that it is a consuming fire. We see stories like Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire and how the lake of fire is reserved for the devil.

Gold is yellow

that the authenticity of your faith,beingmuch more precious than perishable gold, though tried by fire, may be found for praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,⁸whom you love without seeing. Even though you don't see it nowIn,and believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, -1 Peter 1,7-8

like firegold is RICH in symbolic meaningand it happens to be yellow. Gold is usually a symbol of wealth, royalty, glory, worship (the Tabernacle and Temple), purification (because gold is heated to dissolve impurities), and heaven (streets of gold).

When Jesus was born, he received 3 gifts, and gold was one of them.

The oil is yellow

Olive oil is mentioned throughout scripture and happens to be naturally yellow. It was used to make anointing oil. This is why the yellow color has a symbolic meaning of anointing, God's presenceThe Holy Spirit,and more.

Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:²³“Also take good quality spices for yourself—five hundredshekelliquid myrrh, half as much fragrant cinnamon (two hundred and fiftyshekel), two hundred and fiftyshekelfrom fragrant reed,²⁴five hundredshekelof cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.²⁵And he made of it a holy anointing oil, an ointment composed according to the skill of the perfumer. It will be the holy anointing oil. – Exodus 30:22-25

Honey is yellow

Honey was obtained from the wild and domesticated in biblical times. It was considered a luxury and even called medicine (Proverbs 16:24). God promised his people a land flowing with honey and milk. This is why the symbolism of honey represents God's promises, prosperity and blessing.

Since honey is naturally sweet, it carries this image of pleasure. We see this in Psalm 19:10 that the fear of the Lord is even sweeter than honey.

Fear of the Lordispure, lasting forever;
Judgments of the Lordarehe saysijust completely.
¹⁰More to be desiredare theynego zlato
Da, nego mnogo finog zlata;
Sweeter than honey and honeycomb.

In Isaiah 7 we see that honey has a different symbolic meaning. This once beautiful symbol of prosperity, blessing and abundance is now turning into condemnation and scarcity.

The symbolic and spiritual meaning of the color yellow

Bible verses about yellow

Since there are so few lyrics on Yellow, I thought I'd share them below.

Leviticus 13:30, 32, 36 NIV – 30 the priest shall examine the wound and if it appears that it is deeper than the skin and the hairs on it are yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease on the head or chin. …

32 On the seventh day, the priest must examine the wound and if it has not spread and there is no yellow hair on it and it does not seem to be deeper than the skin, ...

36 the priest should examine them, and if he finds that the wound has spread over the skin, he should not look for yellow hairs; they are impure.

Psalm 68:13 NIV – 13 Even while you sleep among the sheepfolds, my dove's wings are covered with silver, her feathers with shining gold.”

Discover more colors in the Bible

Now that you've read about the color yellow, are you hungry to learn more about colors? If you answered yes, I encourage you to check mine outThe Ultimate Guide to Colors in the Bible.This goes deep into everything about color in the Bible.

If you want to know more about individual colors, click on the links below:

• Red in the Bible
  
• Orange in the Bible
• Green in the Bible
• Blue in the Bible
• Purple in the Bible

Dreaming about colors?

Have you ever dreamed of a certain color standing out? Perhaps the color yellow is prominent in your dream. There could be a specific thing the Lord wants to tell you through that color! Check it out to learn more.

I hope you enjoyed this study of the color yellow in the Bible. I encourage you to go deeper into God's Word. There is so much we can learn from Him.