ar.ga.man denotes purple material used in woven furnishings, priestly garments, clothing, and decorative settings.

The term consistently designates purple material or coloring in textile and decorative contexts: it is repeatedly listed with blue, scarlet, and linen for curtains, coverings, and garments, and it also appears in clothing, royal display, trade goods, and an upholstered seat.

1. Purple material in textiles and adornment · dominant

   The masculine singular absolute form occurs in lists of materials for woven items: in Exodus 26:1 the APB renders a tabernacle curtain as made with “blue and purple and scarlet yarn,” and in Exodus 28:6 it similarly lists the material of the ephod. The same form is used for a purple cloth over the altar in Numbers 4:13, royal clothing in Esther 8:15, and traded goods in Ezekiel 27:16, showing one continuing use across furnishings, garments, and valued wares.

   Exodus 26:1Exodus 28:6Numbers 4:13Esther 8:15Ezekiel 27:16Song of Songs 3:10

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the textile and clothing passages, the APB commonly presents the item as “purple,” including curtains, cloth, garments, and trade goods. In some verses, such as 2 Chronicles 2:13 and Song of Songs 7:6, the supplied translation does not make the term's specific contribution clear.