METALS MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 



263 



schist by Caillaud. Emeralds also exist in Arabia Petrcea, 

 in the Ural mountains, and in the government of Irkutsk 

 in Siberia, but they are not found in India. The name 

 "carbuncle" is misapplied. 



JVophckh, translated emerald, and dvSpai; in S., is anthrax 

 in Coptic, whence the Greek; anthrax in Latin. Since no 

 corresponding etymology to nophec is known to us, we have 

 to follow the Septuagint rendering. Given erroneously as 

 ruby by B. and L., considered to have been noble garnet, 

 which has the appearance of burning coal, but decidedly not 

 ruby, K. Precious or oriental garnet, almandine or carbuncle, 

 comes from Jaipur and Eajputana in India, whence the ancients 

 are surmised to have procured them ; also from Ceylon and 

 Pegu, and it occurs in isolated crystals in metamorphic schists, 

 as is usual. 



Zeshem is translated ligure, and \cyvpiov in S. It is leshem 

 and jeshem in Persian, otherwise there is no affinity to the 

 word in other languages, lygirion in Coptic; lincurios in 

 Latin, rendered ligure by L., hyacinth by B. ; K. considers it 

 to signify reddish-brown tourmaline, common in India. 



Pitcloh is translated topaz, and Toirdfyov in S. ; it is topaz as 

 given by B. L. P. E. Supposing the etymology to originate from 

 pitor, i.e., the yellow in Sanscrit, K. infers it to denote some 

 yellow Indian stone, such as yellow zircon, yellow spinel, or 

 yellowish brown grossolaria (cinnamon stone) but not yellow 

 topaz, which is not found in Asia. He states that the Greek 

 roird^Lov, topazion in Coptic, from the island of Topaza, was 

 merely phosphorescent fluor spar. 



Tliarsish, translated beryl, and by ftepvWiov in S., which 

 corresponds to beryl firjpvWos in R. The word is thorsish in 

 Syriac, but nothing analogous exists in other languages in 

 order to guide us. In Greek it has been given as Sapaeis and 

 translated %pv croXiSos, from chrysolidos in Coptic. Beryl is a 

 favourite ornamental stone, found in large crystals in Siberia, 

 and is considered by K. to have been known to the ancients 

 and to have been employed for the breastplate, but yet he gives 

 both sardonyx or beryl as intended by shohan, as above. 

 Tharsish is given as turquoise by L. evidently wrong; as 

 chrisolite by B., likewise unsuited, since it is by no means 

 clear what that word indicated; as amber on account of its 

 colour Bw. and K. Though it is possible that amber, obtained 

 by the Phoenicians through their emporium at Tarshish, or 

 Cadiz, might have borne the name of that place, it does not occur 

 among the foundations, while beryl does, and seems preferable, J. 



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