![]() Later these mines became known as Cleopatra’s Mines, who was quite fond of emeralds and was reported to wear them to enhance her beauty. There is evidence that these mines were in operation as early as 1650 BC (the time that the Hebrew people would have been in Egypt). One of the earliest known source of emerald were mines located near the Red Sea in Egypt. It appears that the identities of chrysolite (or peridot) and topaz were reversed in Biblical times!Įmerald, Ex 28:20, 39:13, Ezek 28:13, Rev 4:3, 21:18 Emerald is the third stone in the first row of the breastplate and the fourth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem foundation. Peridot is the modern name for chrysolite, which is a lovely, transparent, green gem from the mineral olivine. So the term topaz of Bible times was actually the peridot (or chrysolite) of today. No topaz has been found there and topaz is not green. It would at first sight appear that the Greek word topazion must be translated into English by the word "topaz", but according to Pliny (AD 23-69), the topaz was a green stone found and mined on the island of Topazios (today called St. Topaz ( Peridot), Rev 21:19,20 The second stone in the first row as well as the ninth stone in the New Jerusalem foundation is listed as Topaz. Carnelian was believed to be an important stone in preventing misfortune. A string of expertly carved carnelian beads was found in Egypt dating back to 3100 BC. A necklace more than 10 feet long and containing 670 orange-red carnelian beads was found in the tomb of a queen dating 1000 BC. Carnelian has been frequently discovered in excavations of the ancient tombs of royalty. Carnelian is a translucent, orangish red variety of chalcedony that has often been used for ring stones and wax seals. Odem here could have been any one of several red stones known to the ancient Hebrews ruby, garnet or red jasper, as well as the sardius (carnelian). ![]() Sardius is equivalent to carnelian in Theophrastus and Pliny's writings, who derive the name from that of the city of Sardes where, they claim, it was first found. The Hebrew word odem (literally redness or red stone), is translated by some Bible scholars as sardius. ![]() Some believe Sardius may have meant Ruby or Garnet. As more information surfaces thanks to archaeological findings and the writings of ancient historians such as Theophrastus (372-287 BC), Elder Pliny (23-79 AD), and Josephus (37-100 AD), we are able to make more positive identifications.Ĭarnelian ( Sardius), Ex 28:19, 39:10 Rev 4:3, 21:20 Sardius or Odem is listed as the first stone in the first row, and Sardius is the sixth stone in the New Jerusalem foundation. ![]() Some variations of those names still exist today, but many stones have been reclassified by science. ruby, red jasper, carnelian, garnet), or may have referred to all of them. In Bible times stones were identified by color, such as the Hebrew term odem, which simply means “red stone.” This could have been any number of red stones known at the time (i.e. No matter whose translation of the Bible you read - Protestant, Catholic, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Babylonian or Assyrian - you will note the placement and the names of stones in the breastplate differ. The difficulty comes in identifying the bible stones named. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of semiprecious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolyte, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst." "The wall was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. In Revelation 21:18-20, John names twelve bible stones that adorn the foundation of the New Jerusalem. ![]() "You shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald, an agate, and an amethyst and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper." His breastplate was adorned with twelve stones and is described in the Bible as the breastplate of judgment or decision. Aaron was Moses' brother and led the tribe of the high priests. The first mention of stones in the Bible (Exodus 28:17-20) has to do with the stones in Aaron's breastplate. The Bible makes numerous references to stones: ![]()
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