Gemstones of the Gods: The Symbolism of the High Priest’s Breastpiece

Ezekiel 31:8-9 also refers to Eden as “the garden of God.” Isaiah 51:3 refers to Eden using a similar phrase, “garden of YHWH.”  Alternatively, גַּן אֱלֹהִים can also be rendered “garden of (the) gods.”  While idyllic in its own way, Ezekiel’s Eden has little in common with that in Genesis. The Garden of Eden in Genesis 2-3 includes the deity, the issuing of divine decrees (Gen. 3:14–19, 22–24), the source of the life-giving waters which supply the earth (Gen. 2:6, 10–14), abundant fertility, trees of supernatural qualities and great beauty (Gen. 2:9), and people. Ezekiel’s description simply includes gemstones and gold. While these two descriptions have little in common, Gen 2:10-12 does include the detail that the river that waters the garden in Eden divides into four branches, one of which, Pishon, waters the land Havilah, where there is gold (זָהָב), bdellium (בְּדֹלַח), and amethyst (שֹׁהַם, but the identity of this stone is uncertain). Note, though, that this land of Havilah is outside of Eden.

Bible translations are from RJPS with modifications.

The Greek reads:

^{Ἰεζεκιήλ 28:13} ἐν τῇ τρυφῇ τοῦ παραδείσου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγενήθης· πᾶν λίθον χρηστὸν ἐνδέδεσαι, σάρδιον καὶ τοπάζιον καὶ σμάραγδον καὶ ἄνθρακα καὶ σάπφειρον καὶ ἴασπιν καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ λιγύριον καὶ ἀχάτην καὶ ἀμέθυστον καὶ χρυσόλιθον καὶ βηρύλλιον καὶ ὀνύχιον, καὶ χρυσίου ἐνέπλησας τοὺς θησαυρούς σου καὶ τὰς ἀποθήκας σου ἐν σοὶ ἀφ̓ ἧς ἡμέρας ἐκτίσθης σύ.

Moshe Greenberg, Ezekiel 21–37, AB 22A (Doubleday, 1997), 582. Given that the three stones missing from Ezekiel’s list are grouped together in v. 19, this seems likely.

For more on different gemstones in the Bible and an attempt to identify them, see James E. Harrell, James K. Hoffmeier, and Kenton F. Williams, “Hebrew Gemstones in the Old Testament: A Lexical, Geological, and Archeological Analysis,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 27.1 (2017): 1–52; Ephraim S. Ayil, Identifying the Stones of Classical Hebrew: A Modern Philological Approach, Ancient Languages and Civilizations 7 (Brill, 2024). For more on the garments of the high priest and how the breastplate relates to them, see Dr. Søren Lorenzen, “Colors of Holiness: Clothing the High Priest to Match the Tabernacle” TheTorah (2023).

There is a gap from line 177-183.

Andrew George trans. (Penguin, 2000), p. 75: (172); 1.672–675

This is a bilingual (Sumerian and Akkadian) compendium of magical incantations and exorcism rituals.

Editor’s note: For more on this term, see JoAnne Scurlock, “Solomon’s Bronze Sea: A Celestial Apsu,” TheTorah (2026).

Markham Geller, Healing Magic and Evil Demons: Canonical Udug-Hul Incantations (de Gruyter: 2016), 460-462.

Geller, Healing Magic and Evil Demons, 463-469.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a loose compilation of funerary papyri texts. The most famous example is Papyrus Ani, so called because it was the spell book that Ani had himself buried with.

Raymond O. Faulkner, The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead (Macmillan, 1972), 102. Spell 109 likely dates to ca. 1550 B.C.E.-1069 B.C.E.

John L. Foster Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology (University of Texas Press, 2001), 8–16.

The Text reads:

^{Ninurta’s Exploits 497-499} The hero turned to the kagena (hematite) stone, he addressed it for its hardness. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: ^500-511 “Young man worthy of respect, whose surface reflects the light, kagena, when the demands of the rebel lands reached you, I did not conquer you ……. I did not notice you among the hostile ones. I shall make room for you in the Land. The divine rites of Utu shall become your powers. Be constituted as a judge in the foreign lands. The craftsman, expert in everything, shall value you as if gold. Young man of whom I have taken possession, because of you I shall not sleep until you come to life. And now, according to the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth kagena shall live! So shall it be.”

Translations are from The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (Oxford University).

The text reads:

^{Ninurta’s Exploits 592-593} My king turned to the marḫuša stone. Ninurta son of Enlil pronounced its destiny. ^594–599 "Marḫuša, …… the string in my place, …… you were taken, since you did not participate in the crimes of your city, ……; you shall be the bowl under the filter-jug, the water shall filter into you. Marḫuša, you shall be used for inlay-work, ……. You shall be the perfect ornament for sacred brooches. Marḫuša, you shall be duly praised in the temples of the gods.

The translation is from the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative with some adjustments.

Marc S. Smith and Wayne T. Pitard, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle vol. II; SVT 114 (Brill, 2009), 538-539.

As noted above, the translations are uncertain. RJPS understands all the references to ספיר as sapphire. See discussion in Ephraim S. Ayil, “סַפִּיר‎: Sappīr—Lapis Lazuli,” in idem, Identifying the Stones of Classical Hebrew, 72–85.

See also later:

^{יחזקאל י:א} וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אֶל הָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל רֹאשׁ הַכְּרֻבִים כְּאֶבֶן סַפִּיר כְּמַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כִּסֵּא נִרְאָה עֲלֵיהֶם.

^{Ezek 10:1} I looked, and on the expanse over the heads of the cherubs, there was something like a lapis stone; an appearance resembling a throne could be seen over them.

Like the breastpiece, the ephod also had gems, though in this case a pair of the same gem:

^{שמות כח:ט} וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי אַבְנֵי שֹׁהַם וּפִתַּחְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶם שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.‏

^{Exod 28:9} Then take two amethyst stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel.

This gem, shoham, translated here as amethyst though RJPS suggests lapis, also appears on the breastpiece.