This verse, from the Song of Deborah the Prophet, is the only one in the Bible which uses the common Hebrew word, (zeva), for color. The (ketonet pasim) worn by Joseph, popularly known as the "coat of many colors," is probably more accurately translated "ornamented tunic" or "a robe with sleeves."[1] Related to the Aramaic ziv'a and the Arabic zib'eh, the Hebrew word for color is (zeva); its rootword is (z-v-a).

In modern Hebrew a tulip, which comes in many colors although deep red seems to have been most prolific before the age of botanical engineering, is known as (ziv'oni) (lit., colorful). Anything colorful — food, clothing or the marketplace — is referred to as (ziv'oni). A house painter is known as a (zaba), and his painting trade is known as (zaba'ut). Paint, of course, is (zeva), while the pigment that gives plants and animals their hue is (ziv'an).

A most interesting derivative of the (z-v-a) rootword is the word for hypocrisy, (zevi'ut). The word (zavu'a) literally means colored or painted, and so one who hides his true thoughts and intentions and presents himself in "different colors" is also referred to as (zavua), a hypocrite.

An alternative Hebrew word for (zeva) is (gaven), hue — with its derivative meaning - variation. When a classroom lesson starts to get boring, the teacher might suggest, (bo'u negaven), let's add variation [i.e., color] to the lesson, perhaps by playing a game or putting on a skit. Or at a theatrical performance which incorporates song, dance and poetry, we might express our satisfaction with the (givvun), the variation, in the program. We enrich the fabric of our lives when we follow the advice of the great Hebrew writer Hayyim Nahman Bialik: "Then many colors [hues], new colors, shall you adjoin to the light in your life."[2]

[1] Genesis 37:3 [back] [2] H.N. Bialik, Bat Yisrael [back]

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