Topaz
one of the gems used in the high priest’s breastplate, (Exodus 28:17; 39:10; Ezekiel 28:13) one of the foundations also of the New Jerusalem, in St. John’s description of the city. (Revelation 21:20) The topaz of the ancient Greeks and Romans is generally allowed to be our chrysolite, while their chrysolite is our topaz. Chrysolite is a silicate of magnesia and iron; it is so son as to lose its polish unless carefully used. It varies in color from a pale-green to a bottle-green.
It is supposed that its name was derived from Topazos, an island in the Red Sea where these stones were procured.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Topaz
Topaz to'-paz. ⇒See a list of verses on TOPAZ in the Bible. See STONES, PRECIOUS. ⇒See the definition of topaz in the KJV Dictionary ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Topaz
In four passages of the OT (Ex 28" 39'», K/.k 28", Job 28'") the Heb. word n- ^i, ut, cum herbofl radi('cg(|ue lodcrent, erucrunt topazinn. ll*c Arc/ietai scn- lontia est. Julia Topazum insulam in Uubro man a continenti BtudiiH ccc abussc dicit ; tiebuIo«am et ideo quauiitAm H^epiiia navi^'untibus nomen ex ca rausa accepissc, topazim enim TroKlo- dytarim lin^^xia Bigniflcationem baoere quiurendL . . . Eauem ■Ola nobiiium liniam ecntit.* We need not discuss the etymology : the two important points are the greenness of the gem and its softness. The first of these is not fatal to the identification, seeing that we know of green topazes ; the second is. Pliny may have included the chrysolite and the peridot under this name. Yet it does not follow tliat all the ancient miner- alogists agreed with him. It would not be easy to lind a more apt description of our topaz than in the lirst few words of Strabo's interesting account, reur/pa^iKd, xvi. — A/fI«f a Im iiK^tttfie, x^vccuiU ItwcXoifjuean ^iyycft eccr fjnB' r,tAi^r IMt »u fiito* liitr irrt. triBtac^/yUTtci yafi^ vCxrmfi i' i^Sffn ei fv}…
Fausset's Bible Dictionary on Topaz
From pitdah (Hebrew) by transposition. One of the hyaline corundum stones, bright yellow. Second in the first row of the high-priest's breast-plate (Exo 28:17; Exo 39:10), ninth foundation stone of the wall of New Jerusalem (Rev 21:20). Job (Job 28:19) represents it as from Ethiopia,; so Strabo (xvi. 770), Diodorus (iii. 39), and Pliny (xxxvii. 32). The king of Tyre wore it; among the nine of the 12 jewels of the high priest's breast-plate; as type of antichrist who shall usurp Christ's king priesthood (Eze 28:13). Septuagint, Vulgate, and Josephus identify the Greek topaz with the Hebrew pitdah; and Smith's Bible Dictionary identifies the topaz as our chrysolite and the ancient chrysolite as our topaz. Pliny (H. N. 37, section 8) speaks of "the green tints of the topaz," meaning our chrysolite.
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia