Exodus 28 · a question people ask

Do we know exactly what the twelve stones were?

Background

Not all of them. The WEB names them: "a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl" (28:17), then "a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald" (28:18), "a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst" (28:19), and "a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper" (28:20). The Hebrew names are harder to pin down. Brown-Driver-Briggs calls the onyx, shoham, "a gem, identif. dubious". Strong's calls the Hebrew word behind the WEB's turquoise "a gem, probably the garnet", and the one behind jacinth "a gem, perhaps the jacinth". For ten of the twelve, Strong's entry says probably or perhaps. What the text is sure about is what was engraved on them: "The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names" (28:21).

The verses

“You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be enclosed in gold in their settings. The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.”
Exodus 28:17-21 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Exodus 28

Exodus 28: On his heart

Aaron carried Israel's names twice, on his shoulders and on his heart, "before the LORD" (28:29). One verb, bear, runs through the chapter, all the way to "the iniquity of the holy things" (28:38). Hebrews says a high priest is called by God, "just like Aaron was" (Hebrews 5:4), and so was Christ (Hebrews 5:5); but he "lives forever" (Hebrews 7:24): "holy, guiltless, undefiled" (Hebrews 7:26).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions