There has been a lot of question about whether the shoham stone is indeed the onyx, however, Josephus (Jewish historian AD 37-100) who had personal access to the breastpiece in his time, clearly identifies the shoham stone as the onyx.The topaz of today is a mineral that is composed of aluminum, silicon, oxygen, and fluorine. But thanks for pointing that out. There have been no rubies (or diamonds or sapphires) found in any excavations of early Egyptian civilization. In the Old Testament, the 12 different precious stones were used to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. It is the most valuable variety of chalcedony.
red jasper, carnelian, garnet). Truth is truth, whether we believe it or not does not change it. No television, distraction; plenty of time for studying, questioning, meditating. Many specimens of polished branches mixed artfully with beads have been discovered in early Egyptian jewelry. It is the 11th foundation stone in the New Jerusalem. It is thought that the color of the stone comes from small amounts of iron in the quartz. When interpreting the scriptures, in many cases, it is the words that are not written that we must pay the most attention to, and this is why John tells us nothing more than the fact that “Jesus hid himself” from them. In the KJV, amber is mentioned three times by Ezekiel (Ezek 1:4, 27; 8:2). Stones appear prominently throughout the Bible—and they embody a deeper spiritual meaning. The Greek name for the stone, amethustos (from which we get “amethyst”), literally means “not drunken” and it was believed that the gem guarded one against intoxication. I’ve learned more from comments like yours than I did when I wrote the article. A lot of people read these very few articles I have here, but very few comment.I hope to be back writing in the next two to three months.Sorry, I did not see in the Bible where David used a white stone against the Philistine giant. One of the earliest known source of emerald were mines located near the Red Sea in Egypt. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” And Paul reminds us time and time again that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 6:19). Ancient peoples developed many uses for crystal.
Egyptian blue paint was made from finely ground lapis.
Turquoise was used by the Egyptians of the First Dynasty (3000 BC) who mined it at Serabit on the Sinai Peninsula. Have you ever met someone with walls so thick that it was almost impossible to penetrate them? Discrepancies are common with gemstones because the meanings of some of the original words have been lost over time.
Josephus the Jewish historian indicates this stone was used for the shoulder pieces of the ephod.Coral is a limestone formation of calcium carbonate produced by the skeletons of millions of tiny marine animals (polyps). See Peridot (Chrysolite)Throughout history, in every civilization, gemstones have been highly prized and sought after. In context of Matthew 24 and 25, Christ was speaking about the end of the world and the time of Tribulation seen in verses 4-14.
"O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will lay in sapphires. Yet, this ONE delights in manifesting billions of material forms, and more importantly, countless trillions (infinite) conscious, sentient examples of HIS LOVING NATURE, and there are countless texts and examples and teachings to share in order to point to the self evident absolute truths that have lain dormant WITHIN Each of US...for too long! Reincarnation perhaps? Onyx has been very popular through the ages as the stone used for engraving cameos. It has a waxy luster and can be semi-transparent to translucent. So the term topaz of Bible times was actually the peridot (or chrysolite) of today.
We come into his presence only through Lord Jesus.