Bible Dictionaries
Beryl

Easton's Bible Dictionary

The rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word Tarshish , A precious stone; probably so called as being brought from Tarshish. It was one of the stones on the breastplate of the high priest ( Exodus 28:20; RSV marg., "chalcedony;" 39:13). The colour of the wheels in Ezekiel's vision was as the colour of a beryl stone (1:16; 10:9; RSV, "stone of Tarshish"). It is mentioned in Song of Solomon 5:14; Daniel 10:6; Revelation 21:20 . In Ezekiel 28:13 the LXX. render the word by "chrysolite," which the Jewish historian Josephus regards as its proper translation. This also is the rendering given in the Authorized Version in the margin. That was a gold-coloured gem, the topaz of ancient authors.