JEWELS AND PRECIOUS STONES

To see the stones of the High Priest's Breastplate and learn of the tribal stones each represent as well as the tribal shields etc. click on picture above.

            Gems held a significant place in the life of the Hebrew people and the surrounding nations. In the ancient world the use of precious stones dates back thousands of years before Christ. Many myths and superstitions about their use existed. Early man attributed magical powers to many gems and even worshiped some of them. This practice, however, is not evident in the Old Testament; the Jewish people valued gems for their beauty, usefulness, and hardness.

            No gem deposits existed in the land of Palestine. The Israelites secured their jewels from surrounding nations, which resulted in the art of cutting and engraving gems. Precious stones are mentioned 13 times in the Old Testament, and over 20 specific gems are named in the entire Bible. Since the Hebrews described gems by color or hardness, their precise identification is often difficult.

            The majority of gems mentioned in the Old Testament are represented in Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:17-20; 39:10-13>. Nine of them are mentioned in <Ezekiel 28:13>, the jacinth, agate, and amethyst being omitted. Jerome (fifth century A. D.) and others have attempted to establish a relationship between the 12 stones in Aaron's breastplate, the 12 months of the year, and the 12 signs in the zodiac; however, there is no indication of this in Scripture.

            The Bible mentions gems used for personal adornment <Ex. 11:2; Is. 61:10> and as gifts <1 Kin. 10:2; Ezek. 16:11,39>. David's crown was set with gems <2 Sam. 12:30>. Precious stones were also used to illustrate spiritual truths <Prov. 11:22; 20:15; Matt. 13:45-46>. Amber, coral, and pearls are not actually gemstones, but were as highly prized among the ancients as precious stones.

            The following gems and precious stones are mentioned in the Bible. This list is keyed to the NKJV, but cross references are included from five additional popular versions: KJV, NASB, NEB, NIV, and RSV.

•             Adamant. A hard stone of superior strength. The exact identity of this substance is unknown; but it is believed to be corundum, the hardest of all minerals next to the diamond. Corundum is not mentioned in the Bible. Pure corundum is colorless; it is the source of such gems as rubies and sapphires.

            Because of its hardness, the prophet Ezekiel used adamant as a symbol of the stubborn will of the rebellious Israelites. God strengthened the prophet with a "forehead like adamant stone, harder than flint" to preach to the Israelites <Ezek. 3:9>; (emery, NASB). Other English translations of the Bible render the Hebrew word for adamant as diamond <Jer. 17:1>, (KJV, NASB, RSV) or flint <Jer. 17:1>, (NIV). Also see Diamond.

•             Agate. One of many fibrous varieties of quartz. Agate is a form of chalcedony with bands or patterns of various colors. The word comes from a Greek term for the river in Sicily where this stone was abundant. It was also found in Egypt, Arabia, and India. The agate was the middle stone in the third row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:19; 39:12>. The agate was also useful for ornaments (beads) and was considered by the superstitious to possess magical powers. Also see Chalcedony.

•             Amber. Fossilized resin formed from the sap of various trees. The ancient Greeks and Romans regarded amber as a gem and used it for beads and other ornaments. Amber is yellowish-orange and can be polished to a high gloss. Apparently abundant in northern Europe, it reached other countries through trade.

            The prophet Ezekiel mentioned amber three times. Each time he described it as a brilliant substance <Ezek. 1:4,27; 8:2>. Other English translations use the words gleaming bronze (RSV), brass (NEB), metal (NASB, NIV) or sapphire (NEB) rather than amber. Whatever the nature of this substance, Ezekiel compared its brilliance to the aweinspiring glory of God.

•             Amethyst. A variety of the mineral corundum. Its color varied from light to deep violet and was used for jewelry. It was known in Egypt, India and Ceylon. Amethyst was the third stone in the third row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:19; 39:12>; (jasper, NEB). It was also included in the foundation of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>.

•             Bdellium. A substance found in Havilah in Arabia, a land noted for its precious stones and aromatic gum. With the same color as manna, bdellium was considered to be a gum resin <Num. 11:7>. In the Numbers passage, the word for bdellium is rendered as gum resin (NEB) and resin (NIV) by some translations. But in <Genesis 2:12>, bdellium was associated with gold and therefore it was considered a precious stone. Some scholars suggest that bdellium jewels were pearls from the Persian Gulf. The exact identification of this substance is not certain.

•             Beryl. A rare silver-white metal similar to aluminum. Beryl ranged in color from bluish green to yellow, white, pink and deep green. It was the first stone in the fourth row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:20; 39:13>. Other English translations render the word for beryl as chrysolite (NIV) and topaz (NEB). The wheels in the prophet Ezekiel's visions were described as resembling beryl <Ezek. 1:16; 10:9>; (Tarshish stone, NASB). The beryl was also the eighth foundation stone in the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>.

• Carbuncle (see Emerald; Turquoise).

• Carnelian (see Sardius).

•             Chalcedony. A translucent variety of quartz occurring in a variety of colors. Chalcedony received its name from Chalcedon, a city in Asia Minor. Agate, bloodstone, carnelian, chrysoprase, flint, jasper, and onyx are all varieties of chalcedony. The chalcedony was the third stone in the foundation of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:19>; (agate, RSV). Also see Agate; Chrysoprase.

•             Chrysolite. A yellow stone that could have been the same as topaz or some other yellow gem such as beryl, zircon, or a yellow quartz. Its name comes from a Greek word that means "gold stone." Chrysolite was the seventh stone in the foundation of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>. The chrysolite known today is the peridot, an olive green silicate of magnesium and iron. This is not believed to be the same gem as that referred to by the Book of Revelation.

•             Chrysoprase. A variety of chalcedony. Chrysoprase had a light green color. Jewelry made from this precious stone has been found in ancient Egyptian graves. It was the tenth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>; (chrysoprasus, KJV). Also see Chalcedony.

• Chrysoprasus (see Chrysoprase).

•             Coral. A limestone formation produced by certain kinds of marine life. Coral is not a mineral, but it does contain the mineral calcite because of its long exposure to sea water.

            When the term coral was applied to jewelry, it referred to precious coral-- a substance with a polished surface highly prized in the ancient world for various kinds of jewelry <Job 28:18; Ezek. 27:16>. It was believed to possess magical powers.

            Precious coral was formed in the shape of branches, or small bushes, and was found in the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The colors included many shades of red.

• Cornelian (see Onyx).

•             Crystal. A colorless transparent quartz or rock <Job 28:17; Rev. 4:6>. Crystal was used as jewelry for ornaments. In Roman times it was carved into various household utensils.

            There are several different words for crystal in the original languages of the Bible. These words suggest that the pearl and glass <Job 28:17-18>,

            (RSV) may have been called crystal, too.

•             Diamond. Pure crystallized carbon, the diamond is the hardest mineral known. The Hebrew word which is rendered diamond in <Exodus 28:18; 39:11>; and <Ezekiel 28:13> by the KJV and NKJV must have been some other hard stone. The diamond was not identified in the Mediterranean lands until the first century. Other English translations render the word as emerald (NIV), jade (NEB), and jasper (RSV).

•             Emerald. A deep green variety of beryl. The emerald was found in Egypt, Cyprus, and Ethiopia. It was the third jewel in the first row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:17; 39:10>. Emeralds were also an article of trade between Tyre and Syria <Ezek. 27:16>. The emerald was the fourth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:19>, and was used to describe the rainbow around the throne <Rev. 4:3>. Various other English translations render the word for emerald as carbuncle (KJV, RSV), beryl (NIV), green felspar (NEB), turquoise (NIV), and purple garnet (NEB).

• Emery (see Adamant).

• Flint (see Diamond).

•             Gem. Many precious gems were known in Bible times. Special value was attached to each because of its beauty, rarity, and durability. Although the modern method of cutting gems was not known during Bible times, ancient gem-cutters rounded and polished each stone, engraving some for seals or signet rings <1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 3:10>. They were also used for various kinds of jewelry <Ex. 11:2> and as gifts <Gen. 24:22>. Precious stones in general are often referred to as gems in the Bible.

• Glass (see Crystal).

• Green Felspar (see Emerald).

• Green Jasper (see Jasper).

• Gum Resin (see Bdellium).

•             Jacinth. A yellow-orange variety of the mineral zircon. The jacinth was the first stone in the third row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:19; 39:12>; (ligure, KJV). In the New Testament the jacinth was the 11th foundation stone in the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>; (turquoise, NEB).

• Jade (see Diamond).

•             Jasper. An opaque variety of chalcedony, or quartz. Jasper is usually red because of the presence of iron, but it can be brown, yellow, or green. It was the third stone in the fourth row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:20; 39:13>; (green jasper, NEB). The Book of Revelation describes the one on the throne as "like a jasper" <Rev. 4:3>. The brilliance of the New Jerusalem was "as a jasper, clear as crystal" <Rev. 21:11>.

• Lapis Lazuli (see Sapphire).

• Ligure (see Jacinth).

•             Onyx. A form of chalcedony with contrasting layers of colors arranged in parallel lines. The colors are usually black and white or brown and white.

            The onyx was used for engraving seals and for various ornaments. It was included in the treasures from Havilah, in Arabia <Gen. 2:12>. The shoulder stones of Aaron's ephod were onyx with the names of six tribes of Israel engraved on each stone <Ex. 28:9>. It was also the second stone in the fourth row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:20; 39:6>. David included the onyx in the material he gathered for the Temple <1 Chr. 29:2>. Job considered the wisdom from God a greater possession than even the precious onyx <Job 28:16>. The NEB renders the word for onyx in all these passages as cornelian.

•             Pearl. A white translucent jewel created within certain species of mollusks. Although pearls are not minerals, they are composed of mineral substances; and they always have held an important place among the gemstones of the ancient world. Pearls were produced in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

            Pearls were considered valuable jewels and were used for various ornaments. Jesus referred to pearls in a figurative manner to speak of wise thoughts <Matt. 7:6; 13:45-46>. The apostle Paul admonished women not to adorn themselves with pearls <1 Tim. 2:9>. In John's vision of the New Jerusalem, "the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl" <Rev. 21:21>. Jesus taught that man could possess the world's greatest treasure, the "one pearl of great price" <Matt. 13:46>- the spiritual wealth of the kingdom of heaven.

• Purple Garnet (see Emerald; Turquoise).

• Red Jasper (see Ruby).

• Resin (see Bdellium).

•             Ruby. A variety of corundum, the hardest of all minerals next to the diamond. The ruby has a deep red color because of traces of chromium. Rubies may not have been known in the ancient world until the third century B. C. The Hebrew word translated rubies in the NKJV and KJV was probably pink pearl or red coral <Job 28:18; Prov. 3:15; 8:11; 20:15; 31:10; Lam. 4:7>. Other words for ruby used by other English translations are agate <Is. 54:12>,

            (KJV, RSV); red jasper <Is. 54:12>, (NEB); and coral <Lam. 4:7>, (NASB, NEB, RSV).

•             Sapphire. The modern sapphire, a blue variety of corundum, was probably not used until the third century B. C. The Hebrew word for sapphire refers to lapis lazuli-- a silicate of alumina, calcium, and sodium. It was highly regarded as an ornamental stone <Song 5:14; Lam. 4:7; Ezek. 28:13>. Rich beds of sapphire were found in the mountainous regions of ancient Persia deposited in limestone rock.

            Sapphire was the second jewel in the second row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:18; 39:11>. It was also the second stone in the foundation of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:19>.

• Sardin (see Sardius).

•             Sardius. A red stone, considered by many to be carnelian, a reddish brown variety of chalcedony. Sardius was used for jewelry and for royal seals. Archaeologists have found many items of jewelry made from sardius in tombs and cities of Egypt and Palestine. It was the first stone in the first row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:17; 39:10> and was included as the covering of the King of Tyre <Ezek. 28:12-13>. Sardius was also the sixth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>.

            Other words for sardius used by various English translations of the Bible are ruby, sardin, and carnelian.

•             Sardonyx. A red and white variety of chalcedony. Sardonyx is mentioned only once in the Bible as the fifth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>; (onyx, RSV). Sardonyx was obtained in Arabia and India and used by the Romans for cameos and signet rings. Some scholars believe the Hebrew word usually translated as onyx may refer to sardonyx. Also see Onyx.

• Tarshish Stone (see Beryl).

•             Topaz. A yellowish-green form of chrysolite, the topaz was the second gem in the first row of Aaron's breastplate <Ex. 28:17; 39:10>; (chrysolite, NEB). The "topaz of Ethiopia" <Job 28:19> was famous for its quality. The topaz was also the ninth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem <Rev. 21:20>.

•             Turquoise. A deep green stone similar to the emerald. The only reference to turquoise in the NKJV occurs in the prophet Ezekiel's description of the covering of the King of Tyre <Ezek. 28:13>; (emerald, KJV; carbuncle, RSV; purple garnet, NEB). Many scholars believe this stone is essentially the same as the emerald. Also see Emerald.

(From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

STONES, PRECIOUS    

1. Ancient and Modern Names

2. Change of Signification of Names

3. Three Important Lists of Stones

4. Interpretation of Greek Names Used by John

5. Interpretation of Hebrew Names

6. Greek and Latin Equivalents of Hebrew Names

7. Inconsistencies of Text or Translation

8. Vulgate and Septuagint

9. Hebrew Texts of Septuagint and English Versions of the Bible

10. Equivalence of Hebrew and Greek Names

11. Interpretation of Greek Names Used by Septuagint

•             1. Ancient and Modern Names: Great difficulty is met with in any attempt to translate the Greek and Hebrew names mentioned in the Bible into names that would be used for the same minerals in a particular country at the present day. It is only within the last century, through the development of the sciences of chemistry and crystallography, that it has become possible to define mineral species with any considerable approach to precision. In ancient times various minerals were regarded as belonging to a single kind, and indicated by a single name, that are now distributed into different kinds and mentioned under different names.

            For example, 2,000 years ago the Greek term anthrax was used to signify various hard, transparent, red stones that are now known to differ much from one another in chemical composition, and are therefore assigned to different species and given different names; among them are oriental ruby (red corundum), balas ruby (red spinel), almandine and pyrope (red garnets); a stone designated anthrax by the ancient Greeks might thus belong to any one of a number of various kinds to the assemblage of which no name is now given, and the word anthrax has no simple equivalent in a modern language.

•             2. Change of Signification of Names: Confusion is introduced in another way. The English names of most of the precious stones mentioned in the Bible are adaptations of Greek names through the Latin; for instance, the English word "topaz" is a modification of the Latin word topazius, itself merely a Latin form of the Greek word topazion. It would at first sight appear that the Greek word topazion must be translated into English by the word "topaz"; but, strangely, although the words are virtually identical, the stones indicated by the words are quite different. The topazion of the ancient Greeks was a green stone yielding to the action of a file and said to be brought from an island in the Red Sea, whereas the topaz of the present day is not a green stone, does not yield to the action of a file, and has not been brought from an island in the Red Sea. The topazion of the ancient Greeks is really the peridot, not the topaz, of modern mineralogy; topazion and topaz are different kinds of stone. For the interpretation of the Bible it is thus necessary to ascertain, if possible, the kind of stone to which a Greek or Hebrew name was applied at the time when the word was written.

•             3. Three Important Lists of Stones: Most of the names of the precious stones mentioned in the Bible are contained in the Hebrew description of the breastplate of the high priest and the Greek description of the foundations of the New Jerusalem. The ornaments assigned to the king of Tyre <Ezek 28:13> included only stones that had been used in the breastplate; indeed, in the Septuagint, they are the same twelve, mentioned in precisely the same order.

            The stones of the breastplate according to our Hebrew text <Exo 28:17-21> were:

            The foundations of the New Jerusalem are <Rev 21:19-20>: 

1. iaspis

2. sappheiros

3. chalkedon

4. smaragdos

5. sardonux

6. sardion

7. chrusolithos

8. berullos

9. topazion

10. chrusoprasos

11. huakinthos

12. amethustos

            Only 4 of the latter stones are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, also in the Book of Revelation, namely: iaspis <Rev 4:3; 21:18>, smaragdos <4:3>, sardion <4:3> and huakinthos <9:17>.

•             4. Interpretation of Greek Names Used by John: For the interpretation of the Greek names used by John, much help is given by Pliny's great work on Natural History, published 77 AD, for it records what was known about precious stones at the very time when John himself was living. The Greek names of stones and their Latin verbal equivalents had presumably the same signification for both these writers; it is thus possible, in some cases at least, to ascertain what name is now assigned to a stone mentioned in the New Testament if the name and description are recorded in the treatise of Pliny; the results are given in the alphabetical list below. All twelve stones, except chalkedon, are mentioned by Pliny; the few important stones described by him, but not mentioned by John as foundations, are crystallum and adamas, both of them colorless; onyx, remarkable rather for structure than color; electrum (amber), a soft material; carbunculus, fiery red; callaina, pale green, probably turquoise; cyanus, dark blue; and opalus (opal); ranked in Pliny's time immediately after smaragdus in value. Achates (agate) is omitted, but was no longer precious.

•             5. Interpretation of Hebrew Names: In the interpretation of the Hebrew names of the stones of the breastplate there is much greater difficulty, for no Hebrew literature other than the Old Testament has been preserved, and little help is afforded by the contexts of other verses in which some of the Hebrew names of precious stones occur. If we could assume that the Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions of the description of the breastplate were made from Hebrew texts absolutely identical in respect of the names of the stones with those used for the preparation of the English Versions of the Bible, and that the versions were correctly made, the Greek equivalents of the Hebrew terms for the time of the Septuagint translators (about 280 BC) and their Latin equivalents for the time of Jerome (about 400 AD) would be directly determinable by collation of the Hebrew original with the Greek and Latin translations.

            It must be remembered, however, that a Hebrew writer, in describing the arrangement of a row of stones, began with that on his right and mentioned them in the order right to left, while a western writer begins with the stone on his left and mentions them in the reverse order. Hence, in translating a Hebrew statement of arrangement into a western language, one may either translate literally word by word, thus adopting the Hebrew direction of reading, or, more completely, may adopt the western direction for the order in the row. As either method may have been adopted by the Septuagint translators, it follows that 'odhem and bareqeth, the first and last stones of the 1st row according to our Hebrew text, may respectively be equivalent either to sardion and smaragdos, or, conversely, to smaragdos and sardion; and similarly for the other rows. The number of the middle stone of any row is the same whichever direction of reading is adopted. 'Odhem being red, and sardion and smaragdos respectively red and green (see below), 'odhem must be equivalent to the former, not the latter, and the Septuagint translators must have adopted the Hebrew direction of reading the rows.

•             6. Greek and Latin Equivalents: Other sets of possible equivalents are derivable by collation of the Biblical description with each of the two descriptions given by Josephus (Ant, III, vii, 5; BJ, V, v, 7). The possible Greek and Latin equivalents of Hebrew names are thus as follows:

            It may be remarked, as regards the 1st stone of the 1st row, that in the time of Josephus the stone sardonux could be signified also by the more general term sardion; and, as regards the 1st stone of the 2nd row, that anthrax and carbo being respectively Greek and Latin for "glowing coal," anthrax and carbunculus, diminutive of carbo, were used as synonyms for certain red stones.

•             7. Inconsistencies: From the inconsistencies of the above table of possible equivalents it may be inferred that either (1) essentially different translations were given in several cases for the same Hebrew word, or (2) the Hebrew texts used in the preparation of the Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions were, in respect of the precious stones, different from each other and from that used in the preparation of English Versions of the Bible, or (3) the breastplate differed at different epochs, or (4) one or other, or both, of the descriptions by Josephus are incorrect. Conceivably differences may have arisen in all the above-mentioned ways.

            (1) Inconsistency of Septuagint translators-- That the Septuagint translators were uncertain as to the correct translation of the Hebrew names used for the precious stones into the Greek names used in their time, and that they translated the Hebrew name of a stone in more than one way may be shown as follows. In the Hebrew text corresponding to English Versions of the Bible the word shoham, designating the 2nd stone of the 4th row of the breastplate, occurs also in several verses where there is no mention of other stones, and where there is thus no risk of accidental interchange, such as may easily occur when technical terms, more especially if unintelligible to the transcriber, are near to one another in the text. Now, for our versions shoham has been systematically translated "onyx," and for the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) the Hebrew word having the same position in the text has been systematically translated by a Latin synonym of onyx, namely, lapis onychinus (except in <Job 28:16>, where lapis sardonychus is the rendering). Hence, it is probable that the word in these particular verses was shoham in the Hebrew original of the Vulgate, and therefore also of the Hebrew original of the Septuagint. Yet in the Septuagint the Hebrew word is translated soom (<1 Chr 29:2>, indicating that the translator, not knowing the Greek word for shoham, gave merely its Greek transliteration) as well as smaragdos (<Exo 28:9; 35:27; 39:6> or Septuagint <36:13>), prasinos <Gen 2:12>, sardion (<Exo 25:7; 35:9> or Septuagint <35:8>), onux <Job 28:16>.

            These differences suggest that there were different Septuagint translators, even for different chapters of the same book, and that little care was taken by them to be consistent with one another in the translation of technical terms.

            (2) Differences of Hebrew texts-- That the Hebrew texts used for the Septuagint, Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) and English Versions of the Bible were not identical in all the verses in which there is mention of precious stones is especially clear from an analysis of the respective descriptions of the ornaments of the king of Tyre <Ezek 28:13>. In the Septuagint 12 stones are mentioned; as already stated, they have precisely the same names and are mentioned in precisely the same order as the stones of the breastplate described in that version, the only difference being that gold and silver are inserted in the middle of the list. On the other hand, in Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) and English Versions of the Bible descriptions of the ornaments, only 9 of the 12 stones of the breastplate are mentioned; they are not in the same order as the corresponding stones in the breastplate as described in those VSS, silver is not mentioned at all, while gold is placed, not in the middle, but at the end of the list. Further, the order of mention of the stones in English Versions of the Bible differs from that of mention in Vulgate.

            (3) Changes in the breastplate-- That the breastplate in use in the time of the Septuagint translators (about 280 BC) may have been different from the one described in the Book of Exodus is manifest if we have regard to the history of the Jewish nation; for Jerusalem was captured by Shishak, king of Egypt, about 973 BC, by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, about 586 BC, and by Ptolemy Soter, king of Egypt, about 320 BC. The original breastplate may have been part of the spoil on one or other of these occasions, and have then disappeared forever.

            Again, between the times of the Septuagint translators and Josephus, Jerusalem was more than once in the hands of its enemies; in 198 BC the city was captured by Antiochus the Great; in 170 BC it was stormed, and its temple plundered, by Antiochus Epiphanes; in 54 BC the temple was desecrated by Crassus. The breastplate familiar to Josephus (for he was long a priest in the temple of Jerusalem) may thus not have been identical with that in use when the Septuagint version was made.

            And if the signification of the Hebrew names of the stones had not been carefully passed down from one generation to another while the breastplate was no longer in existence (for instance, during the Babylonian captivity), or if stones like those of the original breastplate were not available when a new breastplate was being made, there would inevitably be differences in the breastplate at different times.

            The probability of this hypothesis of one or more replacements of the breastplate is still further increased if we have regard to the large stones that were set in gold buttons and fastened to the shoulderpieces of the ephod, the vestment to which the breastplate itself was attached (<Exo 28:9; 39:6> or Septuagint <36:13>). According to the Septuagint, the material was smaragdos (and therefore green); according to Josephus it was sardonux (and therefore red with a layer of white). Though the Septuagint translators may never have had opportunities of looking closely at the stones, they might be expected to know the color of the material; Josephus must have seen them often. But the complete difference of colors of smaragdos and sardonux suggests that the difference of the names is due, not to a Septuagint mistranslation of the Hebrew name shoham, but to an actual difference of the material; it may have been smaragdos (and green) at the time when the Septuagint translation was made, and yet sardonux (and red with a layer of white) in the time of Josephus.

            (4) Descriptions given by Josephus-- That in respect of the breastplate it is unsafe to collate the Hebrew texts of the various versions with that of Josephus may be demonstrated as follows. The 2nd stone of the 2nd row, termed cappir in our Hebrew text, is termed sappheiros in the Septuagint and sapphirus in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) Wherever else cappir occurs in our Hebrew text, sappheiros occurs in the corresponding place in the Septuagint and sapphirus in the Vulgate; it may thus be inferred that in respect of the word cappir our Hebrew text and the Hebrew texts used for the Septuagint and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions were in complete accord with one another. Also, it is certain that the Latin word sapphirus was derived from the Greek word sappheiros, and that either the latter had its origin in the Hebrew word cappir or that both words had the same source. There is no reason to think that from the time of the Septuagint translators to that of Jerome the word sappheiros was ever used to signify any other than one kind of stone or that the kind was ever called iaspis. But in both the descriptions given by Josephus the middle stone of the 2nd row is given as iaspis, not as sappheiros, which he makes the last stone of the row. Hence, for the middle stone of the 2nd row, the Hebrew texts were concordant in giving the name cappir, but they fundamentally differed from that of Josephus whose two descriptions agree in giving the name iaspis; it is not a difference of mere nomenclature or translation, but of the kind of stone set in a definite part of the breastplate. This being the case, collation of the Hebrew, Septuagint and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) descriptions of the breastplate with those given by Josephus cannot be relied on to give a true Greek or a true Latin equivalent for the Hebrew name of any of the stones.

            It may be added that the two descriptions given by Josephus differ from each other only as regards the order of the stones in the last two rows; in the 3rd row, the order is precisely reversed; in the 4th row the order is chrusolithos, onuchion, berullion for Ant, and onuchion, berullion, chrusolithos for BJ. Josephus, Antiquities was written at greater leisure than BJ, and was not completed till 18 years later; Josephus had thus more time for the consultation of old MSS. Speaking generally, it is more accurate than his earlier treatise as regards the history of those times of which he had no direct knowledge; its description of the breastplate is more precise as regards the arrangement of the stones, and is therefore the one to which the greater weight must be given. It differs from the Septuagint only through the interchange of the 2nd and 3rd stones in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rows; and possibly Josephus gave the order from his memory either of the Septuagint or of the actual breastplate.

            The only difference between the descriptions given in the Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) is that the last two stones, namely berullion (beryllus) and onuchion (onychinus), are interchanged.

•             8. Vulgate and Septuagint: As already pointed out, the Hebrew texts of the Septuagint and English Versions of the Bible must have differed completely as regards the descriptions of the ornaments of the king of Tyre; it is thus not at all certain that they were in complete accord as regards the descriptions of the breastplate. In fact, it is generally accepted that the Hebrew word yashepheh and the Greek word iaspis are virtually identical, and that they were used to signify the same kind of stone.

•             9. Hebrew Texts of Septuagint and English Versions of the Bible: Hence, it follows that the Hebrew text of English Versions of the Bible is not identical with the Hebrew texts of the Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions in respect of the stones in the 2nd and 4th rows; if our Hebrew text is correct as regards yashepheh, that stone was the last stone in the last row; if the Hebrew texts of the Septuagint and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions were correct, yashepheh, which had for its Greek equivalent iaspis, must have been the last stone in the 2nd row; further, onuchion (Septuagint) and beryllus (Vulgate) must be equivalent, not to yashepheh, but to some other stones of the breastplate.

•             10. Equivalence of Hebrew and Greek Names: Taking these matters into consideration, the following have considerable claims to be regarded as equivalents:

            The remaining three stones, tarshish, shoham and yahalom, are thus equivalent to chrusolithos, onuchion and berullion, but it is uncertain which Greek name corresponds to any of those Hebrew names.

•             11. Interpretation of Greek Names: For the interpretation of the Greek names of stones mentioned in the Septuagint (and thus of the Hebrew names in the original text), the work of Theophrastus, a contemporary of the Septuagint translators, is very useful. That author mentions, besides krustallos and margarites which occur elsewhere than in the description of the breastplate, nine of the Septuagint names of the breastplate stones, namely: achates, amethustos (as amethuson), anthrax, iaspis, ligurion (as lugkurion), onuchion, sappheiros, sardion, smaragdos. The three stones mentioned in the Septuagint but not by Theophrastus are berullion, chrusolithos, and topazion. Since he mentions only four stones that are not referred to in the Septuagint, namely chrusokolla, hualoeides, kuanos and omphax, it follows that the Septuagint translators at Alexandria introduced every important name that was then in use at Athens for a precious stone.

(From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

 

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