What is the first color mentioned in the Bible?

The first color mentioned in the Bible is green. It appears in Genesis 1:30, where God gives “every green herb” or “green plant” for food to the animals and living creatures.

This reference occurs during the creation account, before later mentions of colors such as red, white, blue, purple, and scarlet. The wording varies slightly by Bible translation: the King James Version says “green herb,” while modern translations commonly use “green plants.” The underlying idea is fresh vegetation covering the earth.

Green is especially associated with living, growing plants in biblical language. However, readers sometimes confuse the first color mentioned with the rainbow after Noah’s Flood in Genesis 9. The Bible describes the rainbow there but does not list its individual colors. Likewise, the emerald-like appearance in Revelation comes much later and is not the first color reference.

The answer depends on counting a color word used in a translated Bible text, but across common English versions, green is the standard trivia answer because Genesis 1:30 is the earliest explicit color reference.