the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Encyclopedias
Beryl
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or is the uniform rendering in the Auth. Vers. only of the Heb. תִּרְשִׁישׁ, tarshish' (so called, according to Gesenius, as being brought from Tarshish), and the Gr. βήρυλλος, a precious stone, the first in the fourth row on the breastplate of the high-priest (Exodus 28:20; Exodus 39:13). The color of the wheels in Ezekiel's vision was as the color of a beryl-stone (Ezekiel 1:16; Ezekiel 10:9); it is mentioned among the treasures of the King of Tyre in Ezekiel 28:13, where the marginal reading is chrysolite; in Song of Solomon 5:14, as being set in rings of gold; and in Daniel 10:6, the body of the man whom Daniel saw in vision is said to be like the beryl. In Revelation 21:19, the beryl is the 8th foundation of the city, the chrysolite being the 7th. In Tobit 13:17, is a prophetic prayer that the streets of Jerusalem may be paved with beryl. In Exodus 28:20, the Sept. renders tarshish by "chrysolite," χρυσόλιθος, while they render the 11th stone, שֹׁה — ם, shoham, by "beryl," βηρύλλιον. In Ezekiel f, 16, they have- θαρσείς; in 10:9, λίθος ἄνθρακος; and 28:13, ἄνθραξ, in Song of Solomon 5:14, and in Daniel 10:6, θαρσίς . his variety of rendering shows the uncertainty under which the old interpreters labored as to the stone actually meant. (See GEM). Josephus takes it to have been the chrysolite, a golden-colored gem, the topaz of more recent authors, found in Spain (Pliny 37:109), whence its name tarshish (see Braun, De Vest. Sac. Heb. lib. 2, c. 18, § 193). Luther suggests turquoise, while others have thought that amber was meant. Kalisch, in the two passages of Exodus, translates tarshish by chrysolite, which he describes as usually green, but with different degrees of shade, generally transparent, but often only translucent-harder than glass, but not so hard as quartz. The passage in Revelation 21:20, is adverse to this view. Schleusner (1, 446) says the βήρυλλος is aqua-marine. "The beryl is a gem of the genus emerald, but less valuable than the emerald. It differs from the precious emerald in not possessing any of the oxide of chrome. The colors of the beryl are grayish-green, blue, yellow, and sometimes nearly white" (Humble, Dict. Geol. p. 30). — Penny Cyclopaedia, s.v.; Smith's Dict. of Class. Antiq. s.v. Beryllus. (See ONYX).
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Beryl'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/b/beryl.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
