H0948 H0948
Byssus; fine white linen fabric used for priestly vestments, temple furnishings, and royal garments.
Refers to byssus, a high-quality white linen prized in the ancient Near East for its fineness and brightness. It appears exclusively in late biblical texts — Chronicles, Ezra, and Esther — describing priestly robes, Levitical singers' vestments, and the temple veil (2 Chr 3:14). Spanish lino and French fin lin both point to 'fine linen,' while German Byssus preserves the technical loanword. The term likely entered Hebrew from Egyptian (cf. hbos, 'to clothe') and is closely related to Aramaic bus. Its association with worship, royalty, and sacred craft underscores the ceremonial dignity of those who wore or worked with it (1 Chr 4:21).
Senses
1. fine linen (byssus fabric) — A fine white linen fabric (byssus), used for priestly garments, the temple curtain, and royal attire. In 1 Chronicles 4:21 it identifies families devoted to byssus-working as a hereditary craft. In 2 Chronicles 5:12 the Levitical singers are clothed in it, and Esther 8:15 describes Mordecai in a royal robe of bus. French fin lin and Spanish lino both render it as 'fine linen,' confirming the textile sense across all eight occurrences. 8×
AR["الـ-بوص", "بُوصٍ", "كَتَّانًا", "كَتَّانٍ", "وَ-بِالْكَتَّانِ", "وَ-كَتَّانًا", "وَكَتَّانٍ"]·ben["আর--মসৃণ-শনে", "আর-মসীনায়", "আর-মসৃণ-শন", "পোশাক", "মসীনার", "মসৃণ-কাপড়ে", "মিহি-কাপড়ের", "মিহি-সুতির"]·DE["Byssus", "[בוץ]", "[הבץ]", "[ובבוץ]", "[ובוץ]"]·EN["and-fine-linen", "and-in-the-fine-linen", "fine-cotton", "fine-linen", "the-linen"]·FR["et-fin-lin", "et-in-lin-fin", "et-lin-fin", "lin", "lin-fin"]·heb["בוץ", "ה-בץ", "ו-ב-ה-בוץ", "ו-בוץ"]·HI["और-महीन-सन", "और-में-सन", "और-सन", "कतान", "मलमल", "महीन-सन-के", "सन", "सन-के"]·ID["dan-dalam-kain-lenan", "dan-kain-lenan", "dan-kain-lenan-halus,", "kain-lenan", "katun-halus", "lenan-halus", "linen-halus"]·IT["[ובוץ]", "e-in-lino-fino", "e-lino-fino", "lino", "lino-fino"]·jav["lan-lena-alus", "lan-lenan-alus", "lan-saking-lena-alus", "len", "lena-alus", "linen", "linen-alus"]·KO["고운-베의", "그-베", "그리고-세마포", "그리고-세마포와", "그리고-에서-그-세마포", "베", "세마포", "세마포와"]·PT["e-linho", "e-linho-fino", "e-no-linho", "linho", "linho-fino", "o-linho"]·RU["в-виссон", "виссона", "и-в-виссоне", "и-виссона", "и-виссоном", "льна"]·ES["de-lino", "el-lino", "lino", "lino-fino", "y-en-el-lino", "y-lino", "y-lino-fino"]·SW["kitani", "kwa-kamba", "na-kitani", "na-kitani-safi", "na-kwa-kitani", "ya-kitani-nyeupe"]·TR["-ince-keten", "ince-keten", "ve-ince-keten", "ve-ince-ketende", "ve-ince-ketenle"]·urd["اور-باریک-کپڑا", "اور-باریک-کپڑے-میں", "اور-مہین-کپڑے", "باریک-کتان", "کتان", "کتان-کے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בּוּץ, בֻּץ n.[m.] byssus (late), (Ph. בוץ, Aramaic בּוּץ, ܒܘܽܨ; √ dub.; Birch, WilkinsonEgyptians ii. 158 f. from Egypt. hbos, clothe; v. Say Herodotii. 86; Thes from √ בוץ, but NöZMG 1875, 650; Armen., according to LagSem. i. 72 al.) a fine white Egyptian linen, and cloth made of it, מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בֵּית־עֲבֹדַת הַבֻּץ 1 Ch 4:21 families of the house of byssus-working; cf. 2 Ch 2:13; מְכֻרְבָּל…