What does Beryl symbolize in the Bible?

The custom of using precious stones for decoration, increasing wealth and adding shine to ceremonial ceremonies dates back to the distant past. Just as now, in those days jewelry was extremely highly valued; Kings and other rulers hoarded precious stones not only to wear them as proof of their own power, but also to replenish the treasury with treasures, to cover the costs of government and to provide military resources. Since jewelry is durable and takes up little space, it is not surprising that they have been used since ancient times in Palestine, where they were imported mainly from Tyre, since precious stones were not mined in Palestine itself. It is known from the Bible that the breastplate of the High Priest, in which he worshiped Jehovah, was decorated with expensive stones. By the way, the very name “confidant” is somewhat inaccurate, since we perceive it to mean a piece of weaponry that, before the era of firearms, served to protect the body during battle; in the Bible the word “confidant” means a ritual object. It was a linen bag containing the mysterious Urim and Thumim, with whose help the High Priest explained the commands of Jehovah concerning deeds for the benefit of the children of Israel. The bag was decorated with precious stones; There were twelve of them in total, probably flat and oval, placed in filigree gold frames; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved on the stones. Confidant Gems Described in the Bible Exodus chapter 28:.
17. And insert the set stones into it in four rows. Nearby: ruby, topaz, emerald – this is the first row.
18. Second row: carbuncle, sapphire and diamond.
Third row: yakhont, agate and amethyst.
Fourth row: peridot, onyx and jasper. They must be inserted into the golden sockets. These stones must be twelve, according to the number of the children of Israel, according to their names; on each, as on a seal, one name from among the twelve tribes should be engraved. In addition to this description (the Hebrew original dates back to approximately 1500 BC), four more have survived to our time: in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Bible made in Alexandria in the first half of the XNUMXrd century. Don. BC, in the Vulgate, a Latin translation made by Saint Jerome around 400 AD e., and in two books by Josephus : in the book “The Wars of the Jews,” written in Hebrew around 75 AD. e., shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem, and then translated into Greek, and in the book “Antiquities of the Jews”, written in Greek, probably in 93 AD. e. A list of precious stones and a description of their location on the breastplate are given in the table below, according to the descriptions in the five sources listed above, with equivalent meanings used when translating the last four sources into English: Confidant Gems
High Priest
First row
English translation
Septuagint
“Jewish Wars”
“Jewish Antiquities”
Second row
English translation
Septuagint
Jaepps (jasper>
“Jewish Wars”
“Jewish Antiquities”
Third row
English translation
Septuagint
“Jewish Wars”
“Jewish Antiquities”
Fourth row
English translation
Septuagint
“Jewish Wars”
“Jewish Antiquities” The description below from the book “Wars of the Jews” is less accurate than descriptions in other sources. nicknames, but previously it was believed that the order of the stones in the text corresponds to their location on the breastplate: “And on the other side were set twelve stones, three in a row, four rows in all: sard, topaz, emerald, carbuncle, jasper, sapphire, agate, amethyst, ligur, onyx, beryl, chrysolite” (Book V, Chapter 5, part 7). If you do not pay attention to the order of the stones, you will notice that in different versions of the Bible the same types of precious stones are mentioned, but there are two exceptions: in the English translation of 1611, a diamond appears instead of the peridot mentioned in other versions, and in the Hebrew antiquities” sardonyx appears instead of sard. It is clear that the diamond in the English version is not at all the stone that we know by this name today, since at that time it would have been very difficult to carve the name of one of the tribes of Israel on a diamond due to its hardness; Among other things, diamonds of a suitable size for a confidant are extremely rare, and it is generally doubtful that such a diamond was known much earlier than 1000 AD. e. At the same time, the name “sardonyx” may be quite correct if the stone was banded, and therefore can be considered as one of the names of sard. One should not be surprised at the incomplete coincidence in the names and order of arrangement of precious stones in different versions of the Bible. If we remember that before the invention of the printing press, and even more so before the mechanical method of duplicating manuscripts, all publications were painstakingly copied by hand, then we can consider the correspondence of the translations to be quite good. It should also be remembered that ancient Eastern texts are read from right to left, that is, in the opposite direction from Western texts, and the difference in the arrangement of the third row of gems in the two descriptions belonging to Josephus may have arisen for this reason. Another explanation for the discrepancies in different versions is possible, if we assume that they do not refer to the same subject. History says that before the final destruction in 70 AD. e. Jerusalem was repeatedly subjected to brutal raids, and such a priceless and famous thing as a confidant, if it was not securely hidden, could not help but become the prey of the conquerors. If this really happened, then the breastplate should have been replaced by another, since it is an integral part of Jewish religious ceremonies; however, it is almost impossible to prove that the exact same stones as those on the stolen confidant were used in making the new confidant. The assumption that such a replacement could have been made is also confirmed by the fact that in different versions of the Bible different stones are mentioned that served as clasps of the sacred garment – the ephod (stones set in gold were located on the shoulders of the ephod, and the breastplate was attached with linen ribbons to these “buttons”) In English, these stones are called onyx. Exodus chapter 28:.
And take two onyx stones and carve on them the names of the children of Israel:
Six of their names are on one stone, and six names of the rest are on another stone, according to the order of their birth.
Exodus chapter 39:. And they made onyx stones, setting them in golden sockets and engraving on them the names of the children of Israel, as they engrave on a seal. And he placed them on the amices of the ephod, in memory of the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. According to the Septuagint, these two stones are emeralds, and Josephus calls them sardonyx. Since these two types of stones are very different in color, they certainly must have been different stones. Ezekiel’s vision appears to refer to the stones of the breastplate when describing the splendor of the king of Tyre, since all nine names of the stones mentioned can be found in the description of the breastplate, although in a different order. Ezekiel chapter 28:. 13. You were in Eden, in the garden of God; your clothes were decorated with all kinds of precious stones: ruby, topaz and diamond, chrysolite, onyko and jasper, sapphire, carbuncle and emerald, and gold. The Vulgate also gives the names of nine stones, only instead of diamond, peridot is mentioned and the stones are listed in a different order: sard, topaz, jasper, peridot, onyx, beryl, sapphire, carbuncle, emerald. At the same time, the Septuagint mentions all twelve stones of the breastplate, along with the precious metals of the settings; in both books they are listed in the same order: sard, topaz, emerald, carbuncle, sapphire, jasper, silver, gold, ligur, agate, amethyst, peridot, beryl Thus, in the English version and the Vulgate the names of the three stones of the third row are omitted: “ligur”, “agate” and “amethyst”, which probably happened during correspondence. Another set of twelve stones is mentioned when describing the walls of the Heavenly Jerusalem. These stones differ from the stones that adorned the breastplate of the High Priest: instead of diamond, carbuncle, ligur, agate and onyx, chrysolite, chalcedony, sardonyx, chrysoprase and hyacinth appear here. The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all sorts of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedon, the fourth was emerald. The fifth is sardonyx, the sixth is sardolith, the seventh is peridot, the eighth is virill, the ninth is topaz, the tenth is chrysoprase, the eleventh is hyacinth, the twelfth is amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each gate was made of one pearl. City street -> pure gold, like transparent glass. Although almost all the stones mentioned in the Bible have names that are still in use today, it does not follow that they are referring to the minerals that correspond to these names today, and it is obvious that in many cases the name passed from one type of stone to another, completely different from him. Before the method of cutting stones was developed, they were simply cut into primitive shapes and polished; stones were then valued for color and texture, and not for transparency; In those days, completely different stones were considered precious. Since the confidant of the High Priest, captured by the Romans after the destruction of Jerusalem, has disappeared, and two other sets of stones appear in the legends, we have almost no data to prove the identity of stones with different names. It is possible that the clue in some cases may be the root of the corresponding word in Hebrew. In other words, all we can say with certainty is that the sard, emerald, and sapphire on the breastplate of the High Priest were red, green, and blue stones, respectively. To find out the meaning of various names, it is necessary to contact the authors of descriptions of minerals of that era. The oldest work that has reached us is a book. on stones, written in Greek by Theophrastus , who died shortly before the Greek translation of the Bible, the Septuagint, was begun. The most extensive work in Latin was the treatise “Natural History” by Pliny the Elder, published in 77 AD. e. All the names of the stones given in the English translation of 1611 are taken from the Greek original translated into Latin, since there were no suitable English meanings. The Greek and Latin forms of mineral names are very similar; an exception is the word “carbuncle”, which comes from the diminutive form of the Latin carbo (spark); the equivalent Greek word is avBpag. Since in ancient times stones differed mainly in color and, to a lesser extent, in hardness, stones belonging to different mineral species were often referred to under the same name; at the same time, stones that were varieties of the same mineral were considered different. Some of the names of the stones apparently correspond to modern names; these are amethyst, emerald, beryl, sard, onyx and sardonyx. Other names do not coincide with modern ones. Thus, what is described by Pliny as sapphire, we call lapis lazuli. Topaz was a green stone, possibly the current olivine, chrysolite was a yellow stone, jakinth was blue, chrysoprase was green, jasper was also a green stone, that is, at that time they used names opposite to modern ones. Carbuncles apparently were the name for all red stones – ruby, spinel and garnet, but it is most likely that the last of the red stones listed – garnet – was on the High Priest’s breastplate, since it is quite malleable for engraving. Chalcedony was considered a green stone, and certainly did not refer to the cryptocrystalline form of quartz known today. One of the names – ligur – is now completely unheard of; Apparently, it was an extremely hard stone of a yellowish hue, most likely zircon. The first section of the Bible mentions a stone that puzzles us.
Genesis chapter 2:.
12. And the gold of that land is good; there is bdelium and onyx stone.
The name “bdelium” appears in the next section, but does not appear again in the Bible:
Numbers, chapter 11:.
7. The manna was like coriander seed, in appearance like bdellium. Here lies some clue to the meaning of the word “bdelium”, which is the Latin form of the Greek |3Se?Jaov. Manna is probably a lichen (Lecanora esculenta), which is now eaten in North Africa and appears in small grayish or whitish lumps. However, it is possible that bdelium is a lump of resin or even a pearl of this appearance. Biblical alabaster is a marble-like onyx (calcite), and not a type of gypsum, as is believed in our time. “Crystal”, “amber”, “coral” and “pearl” – these names, both in ancient times and in our time, are used to designate the same stones, however, in some sections of the English version, instead of the word “crystal” it is necessary it would be to write “glass”, and instead of the word “pearl” – “crystal”. Value Since ancient times, the Israelites knew the value and use of precious stones. Already in Genesis 2 it speaks of precious stones in the land of Havilah. Such stones, brought by merchants from Arabia, India and other countries (cf. 3 Kings 10.11, 2 Chronicles 9.10, Ezekiel 27.22) are mentioned among the gifts of kings and princes, as well as booty taken in war. The Queen of Sheba also gave Solomon precious stones (3 Kings 10.2,10). Hezekiah had stones in his treasury (2 Chronicles 32.27); the crown of the Ammonite king, taken by David, was made of gold and decorated with precious stones (2 Samuel 12.30). Products made from precious stones are spoken of in Exodus 28.17, Exodus 39.10ff., Song 5.14, compare “Seal.” Precious stones were used not only as decoration for festive and priestly clothing, but also in construction. David collected precious stones to build the temple (1 Chronicles 29.2) and Solomon overlaid the temple with them (2 Chronicles 3.6). In symbolic language, wisdom is more valuable than any precious stones (Job 28.16ff.). The future Kingdom of God is depicted with precious stones (Isaiah 54.11ff., Rev. 21.19ff.); also the greatness of God himself (Ezek 1.26, Dan 10.6, Rev. 4.3, Rev. 21.11). In the following places in the Bible the precious stones are combined and listed: Exodus 28.17:39.10ff. and a parallel passage Exodus 28.13ff., which speaks of twelve stones on the breastplate of the high priest; Eze 9, where 21.19 precious stones are listed among the decorations of the Tyrian king, and in Rev. 12 and gave. – about XNUMX precious stones that served as the foundation of the New Jerusalem. Based on the above and other places in the Bible, we present a description of the stones in alphabetical order. Agate ( euro shebo) is the eighth stone in the breastplate of the high priest. The present agate (named after the Agates River in Sicily), one of the quartz rocks of various colors and patterns; There are milky white, greenish, smoky and black. In ancient times it was highly valued, whereas now it is not considered a precious stone at all. Amethyst ( euro ahlamah) the ninth stone in the breastplate of the high priest and the twelfth in Rev. 21.20 is a transparent quartz crystal, usually lilac, sometimes purple in color. In ancient times, it served as a healing remedy against intoxication, which is why the Greeks called it amethystos (non-intoxicating). It is also believed that the word “akhlamakh” refers to the Egyptian stone malachite, which is distinguished by its beautiful green color. Diamond ( euro aglom) is the most precious of all stones, it combines the transparency of water with the brilliance of fire and, due to its hardness, is not amenable to the best file. This stone is designated in three places by the Hebrew name “shamir”: Eze 3.9 speaks of a forehead that is harder than diamond – a symbol of the absence of timidity; further in Zechariah 7.12 – about hearts as hard as diamond and in Jeremiah 17.1 – about a diamond tip on an iron cutter. The polishing of a diamond, on which its value depends, was not familiar to the ancients; they knew it like a pure native crystal. In some translations of the Bible, the Hebrew word “yahalom”, the sixth stone in the breastplate of the high priest and the third in Ezekiel 28.13, is translated as “diamond”. It is possible that this translation is not accurate, because all the stones in the breastplate were engraved, and diamond, due to its hardness, cannot be cut. Some believe that the Hebrew word yahalom refers to jasper, an opaque, waxy-colored quartz with varying shades. In ancient times they wore it in rings and used it as a seal. Beryl the eighth in Rev. 21.1, also called aquamarine, a less valuable genus of emerald. Beryl comes in green, blue or yellow in various shades. The ancients highly valued beryl from India, the color of sea water. Hyacinth the eleventh stone in Rev 21.1, a red-brown or reddish-yellow gemstone; Its brilliance resembles a diamond. In fire, hyacinth loses its color. The ancients received it from Ethiopia. Carbuncle ( euro “nophek”) is the fourth in the breastplate of the high priest and the eighth in Ezekiel 28.13, a stone brought by the Syrians to Tire (Ezekiel 27.16). It is not known whether the Hebrew word “nophek” denotes carbuncle (Greek anthrax) from Africa and India, i.e. a real Indian ruby ​​or an easy to engrave garnet. In Isaiah 54.12 Heb. the word “ekdah” (from the root – to light a fire) means a precious stone, shining like a hot coal, perhaps a carbuncle. Crystal (Rev 4.6, Rev 22.1) mentioned in Ezekiel 1.22, in Hebrew “kerah” (ice), probably denotes rock crystal, which, according to the ancients, is ice hardened by severe frost. Apparently, the word “gavish” has the same meaning (Job 28.17). Onyx ( euro “shoham”), the eleventh in the breastplate and the fifth in Ezekiel 28.13. It is mentioned already in Gen. 2.12, as well as among the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the sanctuary (Exodus 25.7, Exodus 35.9,27). Two onyxes with the names of the tribes, six on each, were set in gold and decorated the amices of the ephod of the high priest (Exodus 28.9, Exodus 39.6). Onyx is also mentioned among other jewels in 1 Chronicles 29.2, Job 28.16. According to ancient translations, onyx is another name for beryl. Some believe it is dark green chrysoprase. The name onyx (i.e. nail) was given to stones that had light layers of a pinkish color, similar to the color of nails, grading into darker layers of various shades or spots of various colors. Ruby, sardonic or sardis ( euro “odem”), a precious stone, the first in the breastplate of the high priest and in Ezekiel 28.1, the sixth in Rev. 21.1. It is also mentioned together with jasper when describing the glory of God (Rev 4.3). This red stone, named by the ancients after the city of Sardis, was used for printing separately or on a ring. It was brought from Babylon, India and Egypt. Sapphire euro sappir, the fifth in the breastplate of the high priest, the seventh in Ezekiel 28.1 and the second in Rev. 21.1. This precious stone, exported from Egypt and India, has been highly valued since ancient times. It is a brilliant azure color and therefore probably served as a symbolic representation of the glory of God (Eze 1.26, Eze 10.1) and the future glory of Zion (Is 54.11). Solomon’s beauty is likened to ivory set with sapphires (Song 5.14). This comparison indicates either his blue clothing or his blue veins, which gave his ivory-white body great beauty. The princes of Israel (Lamentations 4.7) are likened to a sapphire in appearance. Job 28.6,16 speaks of sapphire as a rare stone. Sardonyx fifth in Rev. 21.20, a type of chalcedony – a transparent, shiny stone with a pink tint, which was brought from India and Arabia. Emerald, emerald ( euro bareket), i.e. lightning, the third stone in the breastplate of the high priest, the ninth in Ezekiel 28.1 and the fourth in Rev. 21.19, a brightly shining gem, green in color. The ancients put it in second place after the diamond. They received it from Scythia, Ethiopia and other places. The rainbow around the throne of God shone like emerald (Rev 4.3). Topaz ( euro “pitdah”), the second in the breastplate of the high priest and in Ezekiel 28.1, the ninth in Rev. 21.1. Topaz is transparent, like water, and shines brightly, shimmering with all shades of yellow. There is an opinion that “pitdah” is not topaz, but chrysolite. The ancients obtained topaz from the islands of the Red Sea, which Pliny called the “Topaz Islands.” Topaz from Ethiopia is mentioned in Job 28.19 as one of the most precious treasures. Chalcedony the third in Rev 21.1 is supposed to be the same as “shebo” or agate. The ancients called various types of stones chalcedony, after the city of Chalcedon near Byzantium, from where this stone was brought. Now this name refers to one of the types of quartz rock. Chrysolite the seventh in Rev. 21.1. This is the name now given to the transparent light green gemstone imported from India, Egypt and Brazil. Some believe that chrysolite is another name for turquoise. Chrysolif, chrysolite ( euro “tarshish”), tenth in the breastplate of the high priest and 4th in Ezekiel 28.1. The Hebrew name for this stone is reminiscent of Tarshish in Spain See “Tarshish”; according to Jewish tradition, it is a white stone the color of sea foam. Tarshish or the Tarshish stone is mentioned in the description of the wheels in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1.16, Ezek 10.9). The body of the husband, who presented himself in a vision to Daniel, was like the Tarshish stone (Dan 10.6, Russian translation topaz), Solomon’s hands are likened to a row of golden round timbers set with Tarshish stones (Russian translation topaz (Song 5.14). Chrysopras tenth in Rev 21.1. Now this name denotes one of the varieties of chalcedony, colored with nickel oxide in an oily, transparent green color. Jasper ( euro “yashpeh”), the twelfth stone in the breastplate and the first in Rev. 21.1, is also mentioned in Rev. 4.3 and in Rev. 21.11, where it is called most precious and crystal-shaped. Therefore, some people think that this stone stands for diamond. See “Diamond”. Others believe that “yashpekh” means opal, a milky-white stone that glows with sparkles of blue and red. Yahont ( euro “leshem”), the seventh in the breastplate of the high priest, is generally believed to be the same as hyacinth. According to Pliny, the yacht had the property of attracting light objects to itself, like amber. The order of the 12 stones in the breastplate of the high priest is visible from the following table, in which the Hebrew names are placed in the first place and below them the corresponding Russian names in the 1907 translation of the Bible (Ed. British Bible General). From this table it is clear how difficult it is to establish complete accuracy when translating the names of these stones. 2. Pitdah – Topaz 3. Bareket – Emerald 4. Mofek – Carbuncle 5. Sapir – Sapphire 6. Yahalom – Almaz 9. Akhlamakh – Amethyst 10) Tarshish – Chrysolite 11) Shoham – Onyx 12) Yashpekh – Jasper It is unknown in what order the names of the tribes of Israel were inscribed on these stones. Perhaps, by seniority, as was the case with the inscription on the onyxes, which were on the amices of the high priest’s clothing (Exodus 28.10), or it was guided by the origin of the ancestors of the tribes from different mothers, or the order of their location in the camp (Numbers 2.1). It is also unknown whether Levi’s name was inscribed. If the name of Levi was there, then the names of Ephraim and Manasseh were probably combined under the name of Joseph.