The list comprises the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin names for each stone, referential locations, etymology, descriptions, and historical source for each stone in the Bible. Note that the Hebrew term does not always correspond perfectly to Greek or Latin, certainly not to English. Because of the frequency of mistranslation, the Greek and Latin translations of the
Hebrew Bible have been largely omitted.
Agate Agate - Hebrew שְׁבוֹ
šəḇō; Greek ἀχάτης
achates, Latin
achates (Exodus 28:19, 39:12, in Heb. and Vulgate; also Ezekiel 28:13 in Septuagint). This is the second stone of the third row of the priestly breastplate, where it likely represented the tribe of
Asher. Hebrew
šəḇō was borrowed from Akkadian
šubû which itself was borrowed from Sumerian
šuba ‘multicolored, agate’. The Greek and Latin names derive from the name of the river
Achates (the modern
Dirillo) in Sicily where this stone was first found (
Theophrastus, "
De lapid.", 38;
Pliny, "Hist. nat.", 37, liv). The banded agate belongs to the
silex family (
chalcedony species) and is formed by deposits of siliceous beds in hollows of rocks. This mode of formation results in the bands of various colors which it contains. Its conchoidal cleavage makes it susceptible to a highly polished state. Agate is not present in the Land of Israel, the etymology may indicate that it was imported from Mesopotamia, where it is also not native, originally perhaps from the
Arabian Peninsula, The amethyst is a brilliant transparent stone of a purple color and varies in shade from violet purple to rose. The amethyst is found in a variety of sizes and easily engraved or shaped.
Aquamarine Aquamarine - Greek
beryllos, Latin
beryllus. Revelation 21:20, gives it as the eighth stone of the foundation of the New Jerusalem.
Beryl is a stone composed of
silica,
alumina, and
glucina with aquamarine and
emerald being the same species of gemstone. The difference between
aquamarine and emerald is color and the peculiar shade of each. Aquamarine is a beautiful sea-green variety of beryl. Aquamarine derives its color from a small quantity of
iron oxide. Beryl occurs in the shape of either a pebble or of an hexagonal
prism. It is found in metamorphic
limestone,
slate, mica schist,
gneiss and
granite. In ancient times it was imported from India via the Red Sea trade.
Carnelian Carnelian - Hebrew אֹדֶם
ʾōḏem, Greek σάρδιον
sardion; Latin
sardius; the first stone of the breastplate (Exodus 28:17, 39:10) representing
Ruben; also the first among the stones of the King of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:13); the sixth foundation stone of the celestial city (Revelation 21:19). Hebrew
ʾōḏem derives from the Hebrew root meaning "red". Carnelian is called
sardion in Greek. Theophrastus (
De lap., 55) and Pliny (
Hist. nat., XXXVII, xxxi) derive
sardion from the name of the city of
Sardes where, they claim, it was first found. The carnelian is a siliceous stone and a species of chalcedony. Carnelian is a flesh-hued red, varying from the palest flesh-color to a deep blood-red. It is of a
conchoidal structure. Normally its color is without clouds or veins; but sometimes delicate veins of extremely light red or white are found arranged much like the rings of an agate. Carnelian was historically popular for rings and seals.
Chalcedony, Blue Blue Chalcedony - Hebrew יָשְׁפֶה
yošp̄e, Greek ἴασπις
iaspis, Latin
jaspis; the twelfth stone of the breastplate (Exodus 28:18, 39:11), representing the tribe of
Benjamin. In the Greek and Latin texts it comes sixth, and so also in Ezekiel 28:13; in Revelation it is the first (21:19). This shared word is part of a large family of similar terms found throughout the Mediterranean and Asia. The ultimate source of these word may lie in a now lost Indo-Iranian form. It is a type of green agate, composed mostly of silica and colored green by a small percentage of
chromium.
Coral Coral - Hebrew רָאמֹת
rāmōth (Job 28:18, Ezekiel 27:16), Greek
meteora,
ramoth; Vulg.
excelsa,
sericum. In one instance the ancient translations went so far as to simply transliterate the Hebrew word. The Hebrew word
rāmōth is cognate to Arabic ''ra'ma
(t''), a type of seashell. The Israelites apparently made little use of coral, and it is seldom mentioned in their writings. In Ezekiel 27:16, coral is mentioned as one of the articles brought by the Syrians to Tyre. The
Phoenicians mounted beads of coral on collars and garments. These corals were obtained by Babylonian pearl-fishers in the
Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean. The coral referred to in the Bible is the precious coral (
Corallium rubrum), the formation of which is a calcareous secretion of certain polyps resulting in a tree-like formation. Presently coral is found in the
Mediterranean, the northern coast of
Africa furnishing the dark red,
Sardinia the yellow or salmon-colored, and the coast of
Italy the rose-pink coral. One of the greatest coral-fisheries of the present day is
Torre del Greco, near
Naples.
Crystal Quartz Crystal - Hebrew גָּבִישׁ
gavish (Job, 28:18), Greek
gabis, κρύσταλλος
crystallos, Latin
eminentia (Job);
krystallos (Revelation 4:6, 21:11, 22:1). Crystal quartz is a transparent crystalline variety of the mineral
quartz, resembling glass. Job lists
gavish (crystal quartz) alongside
gold, onyx, lapis lazuli, glass, coral, and peridot as a valuable trade good. The Hebrew word
gavish is a
wanderwort, which probably originated in historical
Nubia, modern
Sudan. Greek κρύσταλλος
crystallos ‘crystal quartz’ primarily meant ‘ice’, derived from κρύος
kryos ‘ice’. The Greeks believed that crystal quartz was supercooled ice, Sardonyx was likely obtained from the same source as onyx, see above.
Turquoise Turquoise - Hebrew נֹפֶךְ
nophekh. The Hebrew name
nophekh must have been borrowed from the Ancient Egyptian term
mfkꜢt also meaning "turquoise" before the supply of turquoise dried up. Turquoise was extracted by the Ancient Egyptians from mines at
Serabit el-Khadim, which was closed in the 12th century BCE. ==See also==