Chromatic and Textile Imagery in Isaiah: A Lexical, Exegetical, and Theological Study of Clothing Metaphors in Salvation Contexts-Part I

Abstract

This article presents a lexical and exegetical analysis of Isaiah 1:18, focusing on the chromatic and textile imagery expressed through the terms šānî (scarlet), tōlā‘ (crimson), and ṣemer (wool). These textile-based color terms, set within Isaianic poetic parallelism, form a coherent metaphor of cleansing and divine transformation. Through five exegetical steps—identification, establishment, semantic investigation, contextual analysis, and interpretation—the study demonstrates that clothing imagery in Isaiah 1:18 conveys more than forgiveness; it signals a broader salvific invitation embedded within Isaiah’s covenant-lawsuit framework (Isa 1:2–20). The interplay of red and white, intensified through causative verbs (lāban, “to make white”; ’ādam, “to redden”) and comparative particles, reveals a theological movement from sin’s defilement to divine restoration. The analysis situates Isaiah 1:18 within its historical, literary, and theological context to argue that the chromatic and textile imagery serves as a rhetorical climax in the prophet’s opening indictment.