Onyx (Hastings' Dictionary)

This is the rendering of the Heb. on¥ shoham, in AV and RV text (see below), but it is impossible to be certain of its correctness. There are no cognate words in Heb. literature to throw light on the inquiry. The attempts to find an etymology in other languages of the same family fail absolutely or fall short at the critical point. The Arab. : is, indeed, used in the sense ‘to be pale,’ which would suit the onyx fairly well; but that meaning is only the secondary, not the radical one.

The district λα Socheim, in Yemen, pro- duced a Bpecielly. fine onyx; but there are two weighty objections against the derivation thus suggested, namely, the almost invariable use of the article with the Heb. word (πῃ), and the impossibility of » representing ... Schrader’s con- jecture, so far as it goes, is decidedly the most elpful. He proposes (COT? i. p.

30) to identify the shoham with the Assyro-Babylonian sdmtu, which means ‘dark,’ and is used as the name of a valuable stone from Melukhkha in Upper Baby- lonia. Sayce (Expos. Times, vii. [1896] Bs 306) accepts the connexion of the two words, and boldly adds, ‘a blue-green stone, probably the turquoise.’ In this last particular he is too hasty. Fried. Delitzsch (Assyr. Handwb. p. 4885) holds that the adj.

sdémtu means ‘dark coloured’: it is used of clouds, and of a fruit which is neither white nor black. If this is so,—and Pinches agrees with Schrader and Delitzsch,—sdmtu would not be the right word for the turquoise. he Versions are distinctly unhelpful. The Pesh. and Targ. have ‘beryl.’ The L is alto- gether inconsistent with itself: Gn 2! πράσινος ; Ex 28” βηρύλλιον ; Ex 257 35° σάρδιος ; 28° 3577 3918 σμάραγδος ; Ezk 2818 σάπφειρος ; Job 9816 ὄνυξ ; 1 Ch 29? σόομ. Aq. uses σαρδόνυξ at Gn 2!

and ὄνυξ in Ex ; Josephus (Ant. mt. vii. 5, and BJ v. v. 7) has σαρδόνυξ and ὄνυξ. Vulg. usually employs ony- chinus, but at Ezk 28 beryl, and at Job 2819 sardonyx. Our AV adheres to onyx; but, curiously enough, the RV, whilst retaining this in the text, has placed ‘or beryl’ in the marg. of some of the yassages: cf. Ex 35° 39%, Ezk 9818 with Gn 2!2, X 28% 20 3513-37, Job 2818, 1 Ch29%. The uncertainty of the Versions reappears in the writings of the * The form ‘ onycha’ is the accus. of Gr.

ὄνυξ, Lat. onyx, taken by Wyclif and Tindale apparently as a nom., and adopted by all the Eng. versions (except the Geneva, which has ‘cleare gumme’). Of. Sir 2415, ONYX expositors. ‘Beryl,’ ‘carbuncle,’ ‘chalcedony,’ ‘onyx,’ and ‘turquoise’ have all had their adher- ents. So far as the Bible is concerned, two points are clear. (1) The shoham stone was esteemed of considerable value. Job 28" calls it ‘the precious shoham.

’ Ezk 9813 names it amongst the valuable stones which bedecked the king of Tyre. It is the one gem which finds mention when the offerings of the Israelites are enumerated (Ex 35%”), and when the Chronicler recounts the treasures prepared b David for the temple (1 Ch 293). (2) It was well adapted for engraving. Two shdham stones were to be engraven with the names of the twelve tribes, six names on each, and were to be set on the shoulder-pieces of the high priest’s ephod, Ex 28%! (see art.

Epnop). Again, the middle stone in the fourth row of jewels on the high priest’s breast- plate, bearing the name of one of the tribes, possibly Asher or Manasseh, was a shdham (see art. BREASTPLATE OF THE HIGH PRIEST). Streeter appears to think (Prec. Stones, p. 214) that the claims of the onyx are negatived by the fact that the shdham ‘is classed with the ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, jasper, sapphire, and chrysoprase.’ But the argument is inconclusive.

And, seeing that the onyx satisfies the two con- ditions named above,* we must be content in this art. to describe it. Pliny (Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 24) explains the name ὀνύχιον, from ὄνυξ, ‘the finger- nail,’ by quoting Sudines, ‘in gemma esse can- dorem, unguis humani similitudinem,’ and Theoph. (de Lap. lvii.) describes its appearance accurately : τὸ δ᾽ ὀνύχιον, μικτὴ λευκῷ καὶ φαιῷ wap’ ἄλληλα. It belongs to the stratified class of silicon stones.

It lends itself with great readiness to the gem- cutter’s and engraver’s art, not only by reason of its song hhers, moderate hardness, and absence of grain, but also because the design, cut in one stratum, is thrown into relief by the background of another colour. ‘The best stones [for engraving] are those with a white layer on a dark mani They are still better when there is a third layer above, as white with a reddish or brownish tinge.

’ In the Oriental onyx there are three layers: that at the top, red, blue, or brown; that in the middle, white; then a jet black or a deep brown. This stone was much used for signets during the Roman empire. But it must be admitted that an un- stratified gem is really more suited for intaglio work. No precious stone varies more in value. King (Antique Gems, p. 11) speaks of one the size of a crown piece selling for £30. Every one is familiar with the specimens that are worth only a few pence.

Occult qualities were formerly ascribed to this, as to other gems. Marbodus, master of the Cathe- dral school of Anjou (1067-1081), and afterwards bishop of Rennes, writes of the onyx as follows :— *Culled by the onyx round the sleeper stand Black dreams, and phantoms rise, a grisly band; Whoso on neck or hand this stone displays Is plagued with lawsuits and with civil frays; Round infants’ necks if tied, so nurses shew, Their tender mouths with slaver overflow.

’ And the same good bishop’s Cives Calestis Patria sets forth the symbolism of the sardonyx, which may properly be considered a mere variety of the onyx— *Sarponyx, with its threefold hue, Gets forth the inner man to view; Where dark humility is seen, And chastity, with snow-white sheen, And scarlet marks his joy to bleed In Martyrdom, if faith shall need.’ Lrrarators.—The books most worth consulting are King’s Antique Gems; Middleton's Engraved Gems ; Streeter's Precious Stones.

Clapton's Precious Stones of the Bible ia not of much use, J. TAYLOR, * Flinders Petrie thinks shdham is the green felspar ; see art. Stones (Precious). VOL. 111.—40 OPEN PLACE 625