Bible Dictionary
OCHRE, RED
Red ochre is a clay pigment colored by iron compounds. It may have been the marking material used by a carpenter to mark wood before cutting, although a sharp marking tool is also possible.
Definition
Red ochre is clay colored by an iron compound. In Isaiah’s description of a carpenter’s work, it may designate the implement used to mark wood after measuring and before cutting, although a sharp marking tool is also possible.
Biblical Usage
The expression appears in Isaiah 44:13, where the carpenter marks out the wood. Translations differ between pencil, line, and red ochre.
Historical Background
The interpretation “red ochre” understands the marking implement as a crayon. The entry notes that a scratch-awl is equally possible and that the underlying word occurs only in this passage.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>o'-ker, (Isa 44:13, "He marketh it out with a pencil," margin "red ochre," the King James Version "line"; seredh, a word found only here, and of unknown etymology): Designates the implement used by the carpenter to mark the wood after measuring and before cutting. "Red ochre" supposes this to have been a crayon (as does "pencil"), but a scratch-awl is quite as likely. Ochre is clay colored by an iron compound.</p>