Symbolism of colors in the Bible

God loves colors, right? Just look at the various flowers, the leaves in autumn, the ocean, the sky, and the sunset. With all of the different colors gracing our planet, we can clearly see our God is not bland but is filled with personality.

God not only created colors to impress us, but he also designed them to teach us meaningful lessons.

Red

Red signifies blood and sin. Isaiah 1:15 states, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood…”

Also, Numbers 19:1-10 talks about the red heifer and scarlet wool. Verse 9 states, "A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They shall be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.”

Revelation 12:3 reads, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.”

Then Hebrews 9:22 explains that the blood of Jesus is required for us to be forgiven of our sins. “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22, NIV).

Yellow

Yellow signifies trial, purging, and God’s glory. I Peter 1:7 (NKJV) says, “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”

These are the passages that talk about God’s glory: Ezekiel 1:4, John 9:5, Exodus 25:31-40, and Revelation 21:23.

Blue

Blue signifies hope, healing, grace, holiness (God’s commandments), and heaven. Exodus 24:10 reads, “and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness (Exodus 24:10).

In Numbers 15:37-39, God says to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them...”

That passage in Numbers relates to the woman with the issue of blood in Matthew 9:20-22. This sick woman touched the hem of Jesus’s garment (the blue tassels) and was healed.