Hebrew name: Yashpheh.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Smooth Stone.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Onychion.
Greek name in New Testament: Topazion.
Meaning of Greek names: 1) Topazion is borrowed from the Hebrew Pitdah (Prized or Sought Out). 2) Onychion (Onyx) means "Having the quality of nail or bone".
KJV Name: OT: Jasper; NT: Topaz.
Modern name: Peridot.

Hebrew name: Shoham.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Astounding Stone.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Beryllion.
Greek name in New Testament: Beryllos.
Meaning of Greek name: Beryllos is a borrowing from the Hebrew root b-r-tz (Accumulation [of crystals]).
KJV Name: OT: Onyx; NT: Beryl.
Modern name: Beryl.

Hebrew name: Tarshish.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Stone from Tarshish.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Chrysolithos.
Greek name in New Testament: Chrysolithos.
Meaning of Greek name: The Gold Stone.
KJV Name: OT: Beryl; NT: Chrysolyte.
Modern name: Citrine.

Hebrew name: Achlamah.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Stone That Turns White.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Amethystos.
Greek name in New Testament: Amethystos.
Meaning of Greek name: The Unintoxicated Stone.
KJV Name: OT and NT: Amethyst.
Modern name: Amethyst.

Hebrew name: Shevo.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Seized Prize.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Achates.
Greek name in New Testament: Hyakinthos.
Meaning of Greek name: 1) Achates is the name of a river where this stone was found; the name means "No Lack". 2) Hyakinthos is the name of a young man who is said to have been snatched out of the world supernaturally; it is also the name of a blue flower.
KJV Name: OT: Agate; NT: Jacinth.
Modern name: Blue Aventurine.

Hebrew name: Leshem.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Firm Stone.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Ligourion.
Greek name in New Testament: Chrysoprasos.
Meaning of Greek names: 1) Ligourion means the "Ligurian Stone", Liguria being a country in the Celtic realms of the South of France. 2) Chrysoprasos means "The Gold-leek-green Stone".
KJV Name: OT: Ligure; NT: Chrysoprasus.
Modern name: Cat's Eye Quartz.

Hebrew name: Sappir.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Brightened Stone.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Sappheiros.
Greek name in New Testament: Sappheiros.
Meaning of Greek name: The Greek name is a direct borrowing from the Hebrew.
KJV Name: OT and NT: Sapphire.
Modern name: Lapis Lazuli.

Hebrew name: Yahalom.
Meaning of Hebrew name: The Striking Stone.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Iaspis.
Greek name in New Testament: Iaspis.
Meaning of Greek Name: a borrowing from the Hebrew Yashpheh (The Smooth Stone).
KJV Name: OT: Diamond; NT: Jasper.
Modern name: Jasper.

Hebrew name: Odem.
Meaning of Hebrew name: Red-Earth-Colored or Flesh-Colored Stone.
Greek name in Old Testament (LXX): Sardion.
Greek name in New Testament: Sardios.
Meaning of Greek name: Fuller's-Earth-Colored Stone.
KJV Name: OT and NT: Sardius.
Modern name: Sard, Carnelian.

 

THE BLESSINGS OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL AND THEIR PREFIGURING IN THE ZODIAC

 

To put the following comments in context, please read first the summary of the Star Signs on this page. It is noticeable that in the dream of Joseph (Gen. 37. 9-10), the eleven stars (the Hebrew word translated "stars" can mean either stars or asterisms, i.e. what we would call constellations), plus one implied for Joseph, were already known. This indicates a pre-Israelite origin of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The same is suggested by the record in Genesis 1. 14 that God made the stars "for signs". The next occurrence of the word in Genesis is when God appointed a "sign" (usually translated "mark") for Cain that he would not be killed (Gen. 4. 15). This indicates that the star-signs, already created for that purpose by God, were applied to antediluvian figures. The antediluvian use of star-signs is asserted by Josephus (reflecting the common Rabbinic opinion of his day) and he states that it was the long-lived antediluvian Patriarchs, the sons of Seth, who discovered the mysteries of astronomy, the latter term including what would be called astrology today (Ant. I. ii. 3): "Now this Seth, when he was brought up, and came to those years in which he could discern what was good, became a virtuous man; and as he was himself of an excellent character, so did he leave children behind him who imitated his virtues. All these proved to be of good dispositions. They also inhabited the same country without dissensions, and in a happy condition, without any misfortunes falling upon them, till they died. They also were the inventors of that peculiar sort of wisdom which is concerned with the heavenly bodies, and their order. And that their inventions might not be lost before they were sufficiently known, upon Adams prediction that the world was to be destroyed at one time by the force of fire, and at another time by the violence and quantity of water, they made two pillars, the one of brick, the other of stone: they inscribed their discoveries on them both, that in case the pillar of brick should be destroyed by the flood, the pillar of stone might remain, and exhibit those discoveries to mankind; and also inform them that there was another pillar of brick erected by them. Now this remains in the land of Siriad [meaning the land named after the star Sirius or Sothis, located in Northern Egypt around the area of the Great Pyramid] to this day." We would expect, therefore, the secret meanings of the star-signs to relate first to the antediluvian Patriarchs and then to the post-diluvian sons of Israel, with whom they were identified as a result of Joseph's prophetic dream. The explanations below relate to the sons of Israel. The star-signs in relation to the antediluvian patriarchs are dealt with elsewhere.

Click on the links to go straight to the Tribes, their Blessings and their Star-Signs:

Ephraim and Manasseh in Pisces (and Aquarius and Taurus)
Joseph in Aquarius (and Taurus)
Reuben in Taurus (and Aquarius)
Simeon and Levi in Gemini
Judah in Leo
Zebulun in Cancer
Issachar in Virgo (and Cancer)
Dan in Scorpio
Gad in Aries
Asher in Sagittarius
Naphtali in Libra
Benjamin in Capricorn (and Gemini)

 

THE BLESSING OF JACOB ON EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH WHO SUBSTITUTE FOR REUBEN AND SIMEON

It is promised that Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, will be amongst the sons of Israel in the place of Reuben and Simeon. Hence, in the star signs, Reuben's and Simeon's signs, Taurus and Gemini, can become Ephraim's and Manasseh's signs respectively, and vice versa, Aquarius (Ephraim, as heir of Joseph) and Pisces (Manasseh, as brother of Ephraim) being ascribed to Reuben and Simeon respectively.

Gen. 48. 1 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

TARGUM JONATHAN ON THIS PASSAGE

And now, thy two sons who have been born to thee in the land of Mizraim before I came to thee into Mizraim are mine; Ephraim and Menasheh as Reuben and Shimeon shall be reckoned unto me. And thy children whom thou mayest beget after them shall be thine; by the name of their brethren shall they be called in their inheritance.

 

EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH IN PISCES: "They shall become A SHOAL"

In Jacob's Blessing:

The multiplication of the two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, is compared to that of FISHES (Heb. dagah = "multiply like fishes": from the same root comes the Hebrew name of the sign Pisces, viz. Dagim "The Fishes"). Also Jacob crosses his hands in the blessing, represented in Pisces by the crossing of the fishes. Pisces represents Ephraim and Manasseh as brethren, but since Ephraim was allotted the place of the firstborn and hence became heir to the headship of the House of his father Joseph, and further, according to the usual Hebrew custom, the heir also of his father's name, Ephraim, in that role, took Joseph's sign, Aquarius. The sign Pisces, therefore, belongs principally to Manasseh, even though both sons feature within it. Ephraim is the fish rising to the zenith, representing the spiritual aspirations of the Gentile Samaritans (Ephraim), to whom the Blessing crossed when the Jews (typed by the naturally elder son, Manasseh) rejected the spiritual message of the Messiah, Jesus. Samaria, the prophet said, is the head of Ephraim, and Jacob crossed his right hand over to the head of Ephraim. The fish travelling along the Sun's diurnal path, the ecliptic (representing this-wordly religion) is Manasseh (natural Israel). Since the Zodiac is formed out of the asterisms through which the Sun passes on its daily course, Manasseh is the principal subject of the sign. It represents Israel in the time of rejection. God's blessings have now crossed from Israel to the Gentiles, and, indeed, the Sun throughout the period of the Gentile Church Ages has started the year at the Spring Equinox in the sign of Pisces. Up to the time of Jesus and throughout the whole of Israelite history, the Spring Equinox was in Aries, the Lamb. This represented the era of vicarious sacrifice, as in the Temple at Jerusalem, which culminated in the crucifixion of Jesus, the true Lamb of God, on Calvary. From that point on, the Sun began to move into Pisces, representing the time of Israel's rejection. Now, it is moving again, into the sign of Aquarius, which represents the Rapture or seizing up to Heaven of the Gentile Bride (Ephraim), as Aquarius is caught up by the Eagle, Aquila, and the concomitant return of the Holy Spirit to Israel (the water flowing from the urn of Aquarius) when they accept Jesus (the rejected "brother" Joseph-Aquarius) as their long-looked-for Messiah.

Gen. 48. 8 ¶ And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. {dim: Heb. heavy}
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude [become a shoal] in the midst of the earth. {grow: Heb. AS FISHES DO INCREASE}
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. {displeased...: was evil in his eyes}
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. {multitude: Heb. fulness}
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

TARGUM JONATHAN ON THIS PASSAGE

The Lord, before whom my fathers Abraham and Izhak, did serve; the Lord who hath fed me since I have been unto this day, be pleased that the angel whom thou didst ordain for me, to redeem me from all evil, may bless the children [Ephraim and Manasseh]; and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Izhak. And as the fishes of the sea in multiplying are multiplied in the sea, so may the children of Joseph be multiplied abundantly in the midst of the earth.

 

EPHRAIM-JOSEPH IN TAURUS (SUBSTITUTING FOR REUBEN) "THE FIRSTLING OF HIS BULL"

In the Blessing of Moses Reuben is identified with Aquarius and Joseph (Ephraim, plus Manasseh) with Taurus. Here the Bull of Taurus is referred to as a Re'em - the hugely powerful wild ox. The birthright position which Reuben lost is now clearly appropriated by Joseph and his sons. This prefigures the return of the rejected brother Jesus (Joseph) to power in Israel. His two horns, Ephraim (the Gentile believers) and the believing Israelites of the 144,000 (Manasseh) will drive back the nations who are due to attack Israel in the Tribulation period. The rebellious nations will be in alliance with the family of Gog, who was himself a descendant of Reuben (I Chron. 5. 4-6, 26), dwelling originally in Bashan (ibid. and see Ezk. 38-39, esp. 39. 18), and subsequently carried captive by the Assyrians into the land of the Medes (their chief tribe being Magog, the Magi). They spread amongst the Medes (Magog) of Asia and northern Europe. In the end-time they are predicted to repeat their ancestor Reuben's mistake and "go up upon the couch" of Israel in the great UN invasion. The returning Messiah (Joseph) will oust them because of their insolence, just as both the birthright-position and the sign of Reuben, Taurus, was appropriated by Joseph, because of Reuben's assault on Bilhah. There is an allusion to the identification of Joseph with Taurus also in the Blessing of Jacob. It is noticed there (see below under Joseph in Aquarius) that the archers shot arrows at Joseph, but that Joseph's Bow remained strong and he received help from the mighty Hands of God Himself. In the star-signs, the attack on Joseph with arrows is represented by the Taurid meteor shower which radiates from that constellation every winter - meteors being considered in ancient times to be arrows shot from heaven. The Heavenly Stone, the Messiah, God's own Arrow (Star from Heaven), shot from His Bow (the same being Joseph's Bow, i.e. his spiritual weapon), was the only help that Joseph had, according to the Blessing of Jacob. In this reference Jacob alludes to the Stone of Bethel, which he raised as a memorial to God, and which became the foundation-stone of the Temple. It is symbolic of the Messiah as the Foundation-Stone of the Spiritual Temple. This Stone is also called the Shepherd in Jacob's Blessing. The Messiah is the True Shepherd of Israel and in that role is prefigued in the constellation Auriga. This forms one conjoined constellation with Taurus, the star El Nath being common to both. The Shepherd (Auriga) protects in His bosom Rachel and her two children, Joseph and Benjamin (Capella, Hebrew Aliot [Rachel] and the asterism Gedi, her two kids [Joseph and Benjamin]), from the onslaught of their enemy, as He did against Reuben in the time of the Patriarchs, and as He will do again in the Tribulation against the onslaught of Reuben's offspring, Gog, so supplanting and replacing the children of Reuben by the children of Joseph. It will thereafter be the Josephites who push with their horns the remnant nations of Gog and Magog as they multiply to repopulate the post-Tribulation earth (Rev. 20. 8).

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 17 His [Joseph's] glory [pride and joy] is like the firstling of his bullock [Lit. the firstborn of his bull, or his firstborn bull, is a glory to him], and his horns are like the horns of unicorns [Heb. horns of a re'em (singular), the primeval ox]: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they [the horns] are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

 

 

JOSEPH IN AQUARIUS: "A CHILD OF FRUITFULNESS"

It is promised that Joseph will be exceedingly fruitful and productive, both spiritually and materially, with particular mention being made of the rain from heaven and the subterranean waters, upon which the fruitfulness of the land is dependent. This is reflected in Joseph's star-sign Aquarius, the productive irrigator, known simply as Deli in Hebrew, the Water-bucket, which is symbolic of spiritual and material fruitfulness. Aquarius is commonly depicted as a child, or, as Joseph is called, the "child of fruitfulness". In Genesis 49 God's blessing is said to be upon Joseph's head and similarly in Deuteronomy 33, the blessing of Him that dwelt (Shechinah) in the burning bush is promised to be upon the head of Joseph. This is symbolized in the heavens by the sign of Aquila, the Eagle, representing the Divine Presence, descending on the head of Aquarius. Joseph is described as being separated from amongst his brethren, as the young man symbolized by Aquarius is separated from his fellows by his removal to heaven by the Eagle. This sign is ascribed to Joseph, but in the tribal lists Joseph is replaced by his promoted first-born, Ephraim, whose sign, accordingly, Aquarius becomes (as in the Targum of Jonathan on Numbers 2). Also Ephraim swaps positions with Reuben, by the blessing of Jacob which puts Ephraim in place of Reuben, as Jacob's firstborn. Hence, in the blessing of Reuben, below, the application is to what was originally Ephraim's sign, Aquarius, and in the blessing of Ephraim, above, the application is to what was originally Reuben's sign, Taurus.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 22 ¶ Joseph is a fruitful bough [lit. a child of fruitfulness], even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: {branches: Heb. daughters}
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

In the Blessing of Moses on Joseph:

Deut. 33. 13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, {put: Heb. thrust} {moon: Heb. moons}
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

 

REUBEN IN TAURUS: "MY FIRSTLING"

The name Reuben, according to Genesis, means "God has taken notice of my [Leah's] affliction" . The affliction referred to is the fact that Leah was rivaled by Jacob's other, and more favored, wife Rachel. It was relieved somewhat when Leah bore Jacob's first child, and that a male child, Reuben. Now, Leah's own name means "wild cow", in reference, most probably, to her large, beautiful, eyes, which are mentioned in the Scriptures. So here in Taurus (Shor in Hebrew) we have the picture of an afflicted, or grieved, bovine, charging, its eye (the star Aldebaran) a menacing red. This is to represent the meaning of the name Reuben, "the affliction of the wild cow". Likewise in Greek myth, the star-sign Taurus is said, in some accounts, to represent a female bovine, Io, a woman who was changed into a cow, and who was thereafter grievously afflicted by a gadfly (the latter representing irritation of the carnal nature), until the supreme divinity relieved her of her distress. On the other hand, as it was a male, Reuben, to whom this name was applied, the animal in Taurus could also be represented as male, a bull. So in Greek myth, another tradition held that the star-sign was male. In the Blessing of Jacob the main reference is to Reuben's physical prowess and his uncontrolled lust, symbolized by the aggressive, jealous, and powerful bull (the male aspect) in Taurus, who avenged the slight and affliction of his mother by sleeping with Rachel's handmaid, and the concubine of Jacob, Bilhah, thus insulting the household of Rachel. Reuben was the firstborn of Leah. He was the male firstling of the "wild cow", i.e. a bullock. The male animal signified in Taurus is, more specifically, a frisky young bull, i.e. a bullock or calf (as in the Cherubim in Revelation), and Reuben's name can also be interpreted to mean "beware [or, behold] the young one [either of animal or man]". This name, in itself, is a prophecy of the dangerous inclinations that Reuben indulged later in life. The red eye of Taurus - Aldebaran, the chief star in the constellation, whose red color is noticeable to the naked eye - is symbolic of the animal's jealousy, and a warning to those who approach that it is dangerous. Reuben is a young bull to be wary of. The Bull is attacking the Shepherd (Auriga), i.e. Reuben's father Jacob, and his wife (the ewe, Rachel, Capella) and her two young (Joseph and Benjamin). The attack is sexual and rivalrous. The Bull in Taurus pierces the foot of Auriga, and the word "foot" is used euphemistically in Biblical Hebrew to designate the sexual parts. Reuben is said to have "gone up" upon his father's couch, as the Bull in Taurus is rising to attack a seated and reclining Auriga. Furthermore, the Bull in Taurus is rising out of troubled water - this being the traditional explanation of the invisibility of the animal's rear. Accordingly, in Jacob's Blessing, the boiling lust of Reuben which caused him to "go up" upon his father's couch - "out of which", in other words, the problem "arose" - is likened to the boiling of (generative) water.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel [or, By the boiling over of thy lasciviousness like water, thou shalt leave thyself bereft]; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. {thou shalt...: Heb. do not thou excel} {he went...: or, my couch is gone}.

TARGUM JONATHAN ON THIS PASSAGE

Reuben thou art my firstborn, the beginning of the strength of my generation, and the chief event of my thoughts. To thee belonged the birthright, and the high priesthood, and the kingdom: but because thou hast sinned, my son, the birthright is given to Joseph, and the, kingdom to Jehuda, and the priesthood to Levi. I will liken thee to a little garden in the midst of which there enter torrents swift and strong, which it cannot bear, but is overwhelmed. Be repentant then, Reuben my son, for thou hast sinned, and add not; that wherein thou hast sinned it may be forgiven thee; for it is reckoned to thee as if thou wentest in to have to do with the wife of thy father at the time that thou didst confound my bed upon which thou wentest up.

JERUSALEM TARGUM ON THIS PASSAGE

Reuben, my firstborn art thou, my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow. To thee my son Reuben would it have pertained to receive three portions above thy brethren, birthright, priesthood, kingdom: but because thou hast sinned, Reuben, my son, the birthright is given unto Joseph, the kingdom to Jehuda, and the high priesthood to the tribe of Levi. I will liken thee, my son Reuben, to a little garden into the midst of which there enter rapid torrents, which it cannot bear, but is carried away before them. Be repentant then, my son Reuben, with good works, for thou hast sinned; and sin no more, that that which thou hast sinned may be forgiven thee.

REUBEN IN AQUARIUS

The likening of Reuben's lust to boiling water in the Blessing of Jacob is an invert reference to what in the sign of Aquarius is peaceful, fertilizing, water. The Targums, in fact, make this invert reference specific by treating the boiling water as water used to irrigate a garden (as in Aquarius). Moses develops the same idea, promising Reuben regenerative blessing and numerical increase, as symbolized by that same productive and invigorating water in Aquarius, for in the Blessing of Moses, Ephraim (Aquarius) swaps with Reuben (Taurus), and the references in Ephraim's blessing relate only to Taurus, whilst those in Reuben's blessing relate only to Aquarius.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 4a Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel .... [or, By the boiling over of thy lasciviousness like water, thou shalt leave thyself bereft]

TARGUM JONATHAN ON THIS PASSAGE

Reuben .... I will liken thee to a little garden in the midst of which there enter torrents swift and strong, which it cannot bear, but is overwhelmed.

JERUSALEM TARGUM ON THIS PASSAGE

I will liken thee, my son Reuben, to a little garden into the midst of which there enter rapid torrents, which it cannot bear, but is carried away before them.

REUBEN IN AQUARIUS

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 6 ¶ Let Reuben live [or, recover], and not die; [the Hebrew continues: with the consequence that his men be few, i.e.] and let not his men be few.

 

SIMEON AND LEVI IN GEMINI: "BRETHREN"

The Brethren, or Paired (Twinned) Ones are Gemini. In Hebrew the name of the sign is Teomim, the Paired Ones, rather than Twins, strictly speaking. Simeon and Levi were the second and third successive sons of Leah and were associated together in their histories. They are blessed as a pair by Jacob. It was as a pair that they attacked and utterly destroyed the people of Shechem to avenge the rape of their sister, Dinah. In the Blessing of Jacob this raid is referred to as the breaking down of the "wall" (Hebrew "shur"), viz. the wall of Shechem. The incident brought disgrace on their father, Jacob, because the Shechemites had actually accepted Hebrew circumcision in order for their chief to be legally wed to Dinah, and Simeon and Levi attacked whilst the Shechemites were recuperating from the operation. This is why Jacob refers to their weapons as "instruments of violence". The Brothers in the sign of Gemini are accordingly depicted holding weapons, one a club, the other a bow. The Rabbis noticed that the word for "weapons" in the Blessing of Jacob is the same as the Greek word for "swords" - Hebrew "mecherah", Greek "machaira". This suggests a connection, at least in the minds of the Rabbis, with Greece, which is confirmed by the traditional Rabbinic identification of Simeon and Levi with the Greek (Spartan) Gemini twins, Kastor and Polydeukes. In Greek myth, Kastor and Polydeukes attacked the town of Troy (Troia, a name formed from two consonants, t-r, which are a variant writing of the Hebrew sh-r, "wall"). They did this to avenge the rape of their sister, Helen, by the prince of that city, just as the Hebrew pair, Simeon and Levi, attacked "shur" (the wall, Shechem) to avenge the rape of their sister, Dinah, by the prince of the city. In Greek myth, Helen is a doublet or alter ego of another mythic figure, called Nemesis, and the Hebrew Dinah means precisely "Nemesis, Divine Vengeance or Judgment". Likewise, Kastor means "Dutiful", like the Hebrew Simeon (from the root "shama", to hear or obey dutifully), and Polydeukes means "Very Affable", like the Hebrew Levi ("Closely Attached"). The Spartans of Southern Greece traced their descent from Kastor and Polydeukes, and it was believed amongst the Jews, accordingly, that the Spartans and the Jews were related, twin shoots off the stock of Abraham. In Hebrew that significant word "shur", "wall", also means "bull" (it is the name of the sign Taurus, "Shur" or "Shor"). Now Taurus - originally Reuben's sign - was subsequently allocated to Joseph-Ephraim (and its twin horns to Ephraim and Manasseh). Furthermore, historically, Joseph and his descendants were granted ownership of Shechem ("shur"). Hence some Rabbis saw in the attack on the "shur" a reference to the assault of Simeon and Levi on Joseph, when he was cast into the pit by his brethren and sold as a slave into Egypt. Since, further, in the Blessing of Jacob, the Josephite Manasseh replaces Simeon (one of the twins of Gemini), there might also arise in the traditions regarding the sign of Gemini the idea of a conflict between the twins themselves (Levi, from Leah, versus Joseph-Manasseh, from Rachel). Accordingly the Gemini twins in Roman tradition, identified as Romulus and Remus, are said to have fought against eachother, and in fact, the rivalry was over a city "wall" ("shur"). When Remus jumped over Romulus' wall, Romulus slew his brother. The root meanings of the word "shur" in Hebrew are "to leap" and "to be strong". Thus, the "wall" ("shur") that Remus "leaped over" ("shur") was the wall of Romulus' city, Rome, which was so named after him, and Rome means "strength" ("shur"), whilst the city was considered by the Romans themselves to have been originally a colony of the city of Troy (t-r or sh-r, i.e. "shur")! Remus here corresponds thematically to the Josephite Manasseh in the sign of Gemini, whilst his name echoes the Hebrew Re'em or Rem which is the primeval ox ("shur" or "shor") of Taurus in Moses' Blessing of Joseph (the twin horns of the Re'em identified there with Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph). Finally, as regards the promise in Jacob's Blessing that Simeon and Levi would be scattered in Israel, this was fulfilled historically by the absorption of Simeon's territory within that of Judah and by the dispersal of Levi amongst the tribes of Israel because of the priestly status of his descendants which forbad them from owning tribal territory. In terms of the Zodiac the same was accomplished when the place of Simeon in Gemini was transferred to Manasseh and Levi's place was transferred to Benjamin (see further under those names). The separation of Levi from the 12 Zodiacal signs is alluded to in the Blessing of Moses, but there in a positive light, since events in the meantime had altered Levi's status. The Urim and Thummim (i.e. the 12 stones of the Breastplate of the High Priest, representing the 12 Zodiacal positions) are henceforth to be "with", i.e. on the Breastplate of, Levi (the High Priest), who proved his special devotion to God by abandoning his natural relations and standing with Moses against the rebels in the wilderness. Levi is thus both removed from, and granted special privileges over, the other 12 tribes and their signs. In the Camp, Levi is placed in the center of the 12 tribes, in priestly attention at the Tabernacle, or, in stellar terms, in a position representing God Himself at the Polar position of the sky. The Polestar is called Cynosure, the Dog's Tail, because, at the simplest symbolic level, the sky revolves around it, like a dog chasing its tail. At a deeper level, the Dog or Wolf represents God (and God's representative, the priest) as the Devourer of the Sacrifice, so the Polestar's name signifies that the whole universe depends upon and revolves around the God Who is appeased by Sacrifice. In some oriental zodiacs, accordingly, one of the Gemini twins (Levi) has the head of a Dog or Wolf, and Benjamin, replacing Levi in Gemini, is compared to a Wolf in the Blessing of Jacob (see further under Benjamin in Gemini). So it comes about that Levi in Gemini represents, additionally, the Messiah's Divine Nature, and his brother Simeon (retaining his position in the mundane signs), the Messiah's Human Nature.

 

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 5 ¶ Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. {instruments...: or, their swords [Heb. mecherot] are weapons of violence}
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. {digged...: or, houghed oxen, Heb. singular, ox.}
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

LEVI IN GEMINI

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 8 ¶ And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. {They shall teach: or, Let them teach} {they shall put: or, let them put} {before...: Heb. at thy nose}
11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

 

JUDAH IN LEO: "HE STOOPED DOWN, HE COUCHED AS A LION"

Judah (whose name means recognition with favor, or appointment for leadership, or praise) is compared to a Lion many times in Scripture. The root meaning of his name is to point out with the hand, acknowledge as one who is praiseworthy, or as one who has ability to guide and lead. He was the ancestor of the tribe from which the royal line of the Jews was to spring, the House of David. Hence his sign was the universally recognized symbol of power and royalty, the Lion (Leo). The name Shiloh in the Blessing of Jacob is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah from the House of David, the name itself meaning both "Tranquility" or "Peace" - a prefiguring of the name of the natural son of David, Solomon, "Peace" - and "He Whose Right It (viz. the royal sceptre) Is", meaning the Greater Son of David, the Messiah, Jesus. It is a historical fact that rulers were provided from the House of Judah continuously till the time of Herod the Great, and he was Israel's first non-Judaean king, being of Palestinian descent. Then it was that, as this prophecy foretold, The Prince of Peace and He Whose Right It Is was born. It is the "hand" (or, when the reference is to an animal, the "paw") that is emphasized in the Blessings, and the word "hand" in Hebrew means also "power". Leo represents the Messiah in the power of His Kingdom. After suffering in His first Coming like a Lamb (see under Gad in Aries), He comes the second time to rule with power. His kingdom will be centered in Jerusalem, on the throne of David. He will indeed be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We see in the prophecies of Gad in Aries that the "prey" of this Lion was his own body - the Messiah's sacrifice of Himself on Calvary. But the particular animal (sacrificed human body) that is the "prey" in the Blessing of Jacob on Judah is an "ass", the animal, namely, which was the Messiah's vehicle (body) when He rode into Jerusalem to His death. The ass is symbolic of the humility of the Messiah's human form. The prophecy is that He will ride also on the colt of an ass, as He did on that day - a symbolic reference to the fact that the Body of Jesus includes His spiritual offspring (the colt of the ass), the individual believer who goes to make up the complete Communion of the Messiah. That body (ass) He will bind, as a hunter would tie an animal decoy to attract the lion, to the Blood-yielding Tree, the Vine (i.e. the Cross), as also will His spiritual offspring, each to his own Cross, as Jesus commanded. This binding of the ass to the vine by the Lion is represented in the Zodiac by the union of Leo with the "ass" (hamor) and "vine" sign Virgo (see under Issachar in Virgo), for the asterism Coma Berenices, the "hair" or foliage of the plant in Virgo, is in other schemes, the tuft of the tail of Leo. The end (tail) of the Messiah is to be, according to this stellar sign, by attachment to the Bloody Tree. The Messiah washed His clothes (i.e. His body, the fleshly covering of His spirit) in His own Blood in His first coming and in His second, likewise, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, He will soak His garments in the blood of His enemies. Throughout, the eyes (vision) of the Messiah are under the influence of the Blood (wine), like the wild, red, eyes of the Lion, and His teeth (the instruments of sacrifice) are washed in the Word (milk), like the sparkling, white, incisors of the Lion. Here, too, in the Blessing of Jacob, it is foretold that the Lion, described as a young Lion, will "rise" from the prey. That is, Jesus is predicted to "rise" triumphant from the grave, His sacrificed body revived and immortalized, to enjoy throughout eternity the felicities of life, health and youth. But in order to catch that prey - in order, in other words, to achieve the ransom for sin by the death of His own body on the Cross - that same Lion (here the word in Hebrew is Aryeh, the very name of the constellation Leo, meaning, a full-grown Lion able to hunt) first "stooped down" in humility, incarnating Himself as a mortal in this world of sin. It was necessary for Him, as it is for us, to stoop in order to conquer. Eternally in the stars, the figure of the Lion in Leo is STOOPED in this posture of humility. Then, secondly, as an old Lion, weary and worn with suffering - for healing virtue flowed from Him to the people, depleting His mortal resources - He mustered His strength at last, in the agonies of Gethsemane, for the third and final move, that Great Leap - the ultimate challenge of Calvary. Who could rouse (resurrect) Him from that Kill, except alone the God Who tabernacled within Him? Now, ascended to the sky in the stars of Leo, He is separated for a while from His people. Hear, says Moses, the Voice of Judah, the Voice of the Lion roaring for His Lioness. Bring the two together in the Rapture, so that forever they may be One. Until then, may His hands, His twofold power, the Word and the Spirit, be sufficient for His people, as the paws of the lion are sufficient for him to provide and to defend, so that, in stooping, the Power of God alone may protect Him and them in perfect spiritual unity, and defeat their enemies for ever!

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 8 ¶ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

 

ZEBULUN IN CANCER: "HE SHALL DWELL AT THE HAVEN OF THE SEA AND AT A HAVEN OF SHIPS"

Cancer, the Crab, Sartan in Hebrew, is specially found at harbors, where fishing boats pull in. So the tribe of Zebulun, whose sign is Cancer, is to be located, according to the Blessing of Jacob, in two places where ships berth - historically fulfilled when the tribe of Zebulun occupied the territory stretching down in one direction (westwards) to the Mediterranean Sea (the "haven of the sea", "sea" also meaning "Mediterranean" and "west" in Hebrew) and in the other (eastwards) to the strand of the Sea of Galilee - an inland lake famous for its fishing boats in Old Testament times and on into the time of Jesus, and even to the present day (the "haven of ships". See further on Zebulun's seaboard territories Josephus Ant. V. i. 22, BJ III. iii. 1: the lot of Zebulun included, according to him, the land "which lay as far as the Lake of Gennesareth [Galilee], and that which belonged to Carmel and the Sea [the Mediterranean].") Furthermore, the crab is famous for its sideward motion, and here Zebulun is said to have his "side" (or, "flank") towards (or, against) Sidon. Sidon was one of the two great seaports of the Canaanites (Phoenicians) on the Mediterranean coast just north of Israel, and its name means "Fishing". Historically, the territory of Zebulun proceeded in a westerly direction on one side till it touched the Mediterranean Sea, rivaling by its proximity the fleets of Sidon. Hence the Crab, Zebulun, is placed in this Blessing moving sideways with its great claw against its natural rival, the Fishing Men, i.e. the Sidonians. Zebulun in the Blessing of Moses is said to "suck of the abundance of the seas [plural - Galilee and Mediterranean], and of treasures hid in the sand," as a crab would do. The Hebrews were accustomed to class animals together under one designation, according to their behavior, appearance or movement. So the sign of Cancer is represented either by a crab, or a lobster, or some such similar water creature in Hebrew tradition, or, in Egypt, by a scarabaeus beetle (which scuttles along in the sand in a way similar to that of a crab and has two large pincers, like the crab's claws). As the crab rolls or manipulates things together with its claws, so the scarabaeus beetle rolls a ball of dung along the ground - and therefore is known also as the dung beetle. It is this habit which links these clawed creatures with the Hebrew name Zebulun, for that is formed from the Hebrew word which means "roll together in a ball" or "assemble together in a dwelling or community". So in the Blessing of Moses, Zebulun gathers the people together to offer sacrifice - and that a sacrifice of "Zedek", "Righteousness", which is the Hebrew name of the planet Jupiter, Cancer being considered the "House" of that planet. In fact, the Hebrew word zebul, from the same grammatical root as the name Zebulun, means precisely a "ball of dung", confirming the connection with the scarabaeus beetle. In Egypt, the scarabaeus beetle was a symbol of the sun, because the ball of dung pushed by the beetle out of its hole in the ground reminded the Egyptians of the sun's emergence from the underworld at daybreak. Hence in the Blessing of Moses, Zebulun is commanded to "rejoice" in his "going forth" - the latter word commonly used in Hebrew of the rising of the sun. In Moses' Blessing of Zebulun we also find a reference to the assembling of people to a mountain (see further on this under Issachar) and in the sign of Cancer we find a cluster or gathering of stars (Praesepe) as the main feature in the sign, representing the assembly of the people to Jerusalem for sacrifice according to the festal calculations of the tribe of Issachar. The cluster has been assembled by the activity of the creature symbolized by Cancer ("that which rolls together" or "that which assembles together"). Praesepe means "beehive" or "assembly of bees", the reference being originally to the young beetles (rather than bees) of the scarabaeus, and prophetically to the gathering of souls, which were commonly symbolized as insects (e.g. bees or butterflies in European countries, substituting for the scarabaeus beetles of Egypt). On the asterisms called the Aselli, or Asses, in the sign of Cancer, see further under Issachar.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 13 ¶ Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for [or, and he shall dwell at] an haven of ships; and his border [lit. side] shall be unto Zidon.

(WITH ISSACHAR IN THE SAME SIGN)

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 18 ¶ And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

 

ISSACHAR IN VIRGO: "THE INFLAMING OF THE BODY WITH WINE"

The translation of the Hebrew hamor, usually rendered "ass", as "inflaming" or "ardent desire" follows the Septuagint: "Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances." The ass was termed hamor in Hebrew precisely because of its lustful nature and its red color (as though from inflaming of the skin in lust). Here the meaning clearly is that Issachar is [i.e. results from and inherits his character from] the inflaming of the body with the mandrake wine which Leah gave to Rachel in order to conceive him, and/or which Jacob, and/or Leah, partook of to conceive him. Jacob was that "body" luxuriating between two braziers or firepans, i.e. between his two wives, Rachel and Leah, which, inflamed by mandrake wine, engendered Issachar. Hence Issachar's tendency prophesied here to luxuriate in the rich blessings of the harvest. As a result, the tribe of Issachar relinquished its independence to a degree, entering into agricultural service to the other tribes of Israel in the science of the stars, by which the seasonal activities of the agricultural year were regulated and by which the times of the festivals were fixed. From the fact that Issachar became the expert in festival star-signs arose the connection of this tribe with the Temple at Jerusalem, where the festivals were celebrated. In the Blessing of Jacob reference is made to the "Peaceful Abode", meaning prophetically the Abode of God, the Place of God's Rest, in the Temple at Jerusalem. See further on this in the Blessing of Zebulun. The Virgin (Rachel) in Virgo, Betulah in Hebrew, is holding a plant used to make (mandrake) wine in one hand (its chief star being called Vindemiatrix, the Vine-Harvester), and in Israelite times the sign Virgo was where the sun was located at the time of the harvesting of vines (the Hebrew month Tishri, September-October). In fact Betulah, the Hebrew name of the sign, means, as well as "virgin", "branch" or "shoot of a plant". The Virgin in the star-sign is the Branch personified. So also in Latin virgo (virgin) is cognate to virga, branch. In the other hand Rachel-Virgo holds a sheaf of wheat, for it was at the wheat-harvest that she received from Reuben and Leah the mandrakes to make the aphrodisiacal wine. In the Blessing of Moses, Issachar is described as being present in the tents of Zebulun. This is a reference to the fact that the people of Issachar became experts in the science of the stars and in the astronomical calculations used to determine the correct time for sacred festivals, and, as such, hired their services out to their brethren. By their seasonal calculations, they summoned the festal assemblies to the Temple at Jerusalem, which is what Moses refers to prophetically as calling the people to the mountain (Zion). In the sign of Cancer, accordingly, we find a cluster or gathering of stars (Praesepe), representing the assembly of the people to Jerusalem, as the main feature in the sign. Praesepe means "beehive" or "assembly of bees", the reference being originally to the young beetles (rather than bees) of the scarabaeus, and prophetically to the gathering of souls, which were commonly symbolized as insects. Issachar is present in Zebulun's sign, too, in the form of the two asses (the asterisms known as the Aselli, the Asses), one on each side of Praesepe, because Issachar is said in Jacob's Blessing to be, i.e. to be the product of, a "hamor" in the original Hebrew, i.e. an "inflaming with (mandrake) wine", but "hamor" also means "ass" (because of its lustful nature and its inflamed red color). Some Rabbis, accordingly, - but without Biblical warrant in the actual story of Issachar's birth - explain how Issachar was born as a result of Jacob's ass tending towards the tent of Leah or by his braying on the day Issachar was conceived, which signal was noticed and acted on by Leah. The presence of asses (the so-called "Northern Ass" and "Southern Ass") on both sides of Praesepe indicates the presence of Issachar's experts in both kingdoms of Israel, the "Northern Kingdom" of Ephraim or Rachel tribes to the north of the mount of assembly in Jerusalem, and the "Southern Kingdom" of Judah or Leah tribes to the south. In Jacob's Blessing of Issachar, the "hamor" is said specifically to luxuriate (in scholarly leisure) between two "firepans", "braziers" or "heat-sources" (i.e. the two wives, or she-asses, Rachel and Leah), representing the respective Kingdoms.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 14 Issachar is a strong ass [i.e. a lustful creature] couching down between two burdens [or, firepans]:
15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

Another rendering: Gen. 49. 14 Issachar is the product of the inflaming [as with wine] of a body taking its ease between two braziers, and he saw that the Peaceful Abode was good and the Earth that it was delightful, and he bent his shoulder to bear and was pressed into agricultural service.

(WITH ZEBULUN IN THE LATTER'S SIGN)

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 18 ¶ And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

DAN IN SCORPIO: "PUNISHER OF THE SERPENT"

Dan means "The Judge", the executor of judgment and inflicter of punishment. It is represented in the Zodiac by the sign of a scorpion. This creature causes torment or punishment by its deadly sting. In Hebrew the word Scorpion (Akrav) actually means, as well as the creature so designated, an instrument of judicial punishment, a scourge fitted with sharp points. The Latin word Scorpio (scorpion) is derived directly from the Hebrew name ('-k-r-b, pronounced akrav, with the initial hard breathing transformed, as commonly elsewhere, into s and b into p). Similarly in Latin, scorpio designates both the creature and a scourge with sharp points. The Hebrew name is a conflation of two other Hebrew words, akar (wound) and akev (heel), so the scorpion is the "heel-wounder", representing the serpentine evil seed which is prophesied in Gen. 3 to wound the heel of the Messiah, the Seed of the Woman. In the blessing of Jacob, accordingly, Dan is described as a serpent in the path who bites the heels of a horse so that its rider falls backward. Here we have in one phrase references to the scorpion (heel-wounder), the centaur (horse) which is in conflict with Scorpio in the Zodiac, and the Seed of the Woman (the rider of the horse) who is attacked by the seed of the serpent. Hence the sign of the basilisk-serpent on the standard of Dan. In the celestial sphere, Scorpio is also attacking the heel of the conjoined constellation, the "Serpent-wrestler", Ophiuchus, representing the Seed of the Woman, who is in the process of crushing Scorpio with his heel. In fact, the stars of Ophiuchus intermingle with those of Scorpio in the section where the foot of the former crushes the heart of the latter (the star Antares or "Heart of the Scorpion"). In ancient Egypt, Ophiuchus was represented with the head of a bird of prey which the Hebrews and Greeks termed an Eagle, this bird being the particular enemy of the serpent. Hence, because of the fusion of the signs, it is possible for Scorpio to be replaced by an Eagle. For example, in the figures of the four Cherubim, we have a Lion (Leo), a Bull (Taurus), a Man (Aquarius) and an Eagle (Ophiuchus/Scorpio). Thus Dan, as a Seed of the Woman and a Seed of Israel, represents THE Seed of the Woman, and THE Seed of Israel, namely the Messiah (Ophiuchus). A representative hero of faith in the tribe of Dan, who prefigured that ultimate Seed, was Samson. As a prefiguration of the Messiah, Dan is also called "the Lion's Whelp" (i.e. the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, see under Judah in Leo), prophesied in the Blessing of Moses, which leaps upon the prey from Bashan. Bashan in the north of Israel is where the tribe of Dan migrated to many years subsequent to the time of Moses. But in the Blessing of Jacob, Dan is described as judging or punishing his OWN people (i.e. the tribe of Dan), LIKE one of the tribes of Israel. This prophecy was fulfilled when the tribe of Dan abandoned the Mosaic faith and fell into idolatry, thus losing its status as a true tribe of Israel and becoming itself an embodiment of evil - the Scorpion, that is, punished and crushed by the Judge. Thus, in Moses' Blessing, the risen Messiah (the Lion's Whelp) is predicted to destroy at His Second Coming the evildoers within his OWN, professing, body. It is comparable, though in a different application, to the destruction of His own body by the Messiah described in Judah in Leo, the Messiah there being both the Devourer (the Lion) and the prey (the ass). Here Dan is both the Judge and the judged, but the reference is to the Second Coming, when sin in the body is no longer judged vicariously (as it was in the First Coming) but individually. As Jacob says, "I have waited for THY salvation, O LORD", as in such a case reliance on human judges is vain. The evil punished is twofold, a Serpent by the Way, an Adder in the Path, and is described as the Biter of the Horse Heels. The two forms of the enemy are represented in the stars by the figures, firstly, of Serpens, or the Serpent, with whom Ophiuchus is struggling, and, secondly, of the serpentine Hydra, which is depicted fleeing from the scene of Ophiuchus' battle directly into the path of the crouching Lion of Leo (the Lion's Whelp). Meanwhile Scorpio is biting the heels of the equine body of Sagittarius. The two snakes are Death (Serpens) and Hell (Hydra), and they form, with Draco, the Devil, the third celestial snake, a Satanic Trinity (the Devil, Death and Hell). Scorpio itself represents the Law (Divine Judgment and Punishment), which afflicts mankind as long as they are in sin and open to accusation by the Devil. The Sting of Death (represented in the stars by Sagitta, the arrow-like sting which belongs to, but is now separated from, Scorpio) is Sin, and this is empowered by the Law (Scorpio). O Death, where is thy sting (Sagitta is flying disconnected through the sky), O Grave (Hydra), where is thy victory (Hydra is in flight)? Thus the Serpent wounds, by means of the Law, but does not destroy (bites the heels of) the human form (horse) of the Messiah, incarnated in Two Natures (the centaur, man and horse, see further under Asher in Sagittarius). The result is that God (the rider) is SEPARATED from the human body of the Messiah and reverts to transcendence (falls back off the horse). This prophecy was fulfilled at the Cross when Jesus, suffering the penalty of the Law vicariously for us, cried, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?", and the Divine and the Human elements in Jesus were sundered, in that awesome display of Divine Love.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 16 Dan shall judge [or, punish] his people, as [or, as he shall judge, or, punish] one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be [or, and he shall be one that punisheth, or, bringeth judgment upon] a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that [or, one that] biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. {an adder: Heb. an arrow-snake}
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 22 ¶ And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

 

GAD IN ARIES "A FORAGING HOST"

Here it is promised that Gad will be identified with the promised Seed of the Woman that is to be pierced in the heel. This explains why the lamb or ram of Aries is depicted watching his rear, the word for heel and rear being the same word in Hebrew (akev). This word heel is the same as is used in the immediately preceding blessing of Dan, where it is said that there will be a biter of the horse's heels (akev). In the Zodiac it is Scorpio, the Scorpion, that bites the heel of the horse in Sagittarius, whilst Aries is simply another symbol of the same event prophesied in the blessing of Dan. The word scorpion in Hebrew (akrav) conveys the meaning conflict (karav) with the heel (akev). The humanity, or human nature, of the Seed of the Woman (the Messiah, Jesus) is depicted as an animal (variously a lamb or horse etc., see further under Asher), and it is the humanity that is wounded, not the divinity (symbolized by the man, the rider of the horse), for the divinity is impassible. It is predicted in the blessing of Gad that this piercing or furrowing of the Messiah's body will be done by a band of soldiers, inasmuch as the word for furrowing in Hebrew is the same as for a troop or band of soldiers (gedud). Historically and in tribal terms, the Blessing of Jacob was fulfilled when the hosts of the tribe of Gad crossed over Jordan (that is, in spiritual terms, crossed over the waters of death), having been prevailed upon by their brother tribes to aid them in the subduing of Canaan, and subsequently returned back over Jordan (in spiritual terms, revived), to occupy their allotted lands on the other side of the river. Like the sacrifice of the Messiah on Calvary, this represented a temporary encounter with death - a wound in the heel and not ultimately fatal. In the Blessing of Moses the rending of the Lamb (Aries, Gad) is further detailed. It is foretold that He who enlarges Gad, i.e. God Himself, or otherwise the Messiah's Divine Nature, will be the very One who rends (in addition to the heel) the arm - viz. of the Lamb, the Messiah, with the Roman nails - and the crown of the head - with the crown of thorns. The Divinity of the Messiah is compared, in this instance, to the predatory Lion (as in Leo, cf. the symbol of the Wolf in Benjamin), the Devourer of the Sacrificial Lamb. The Lamb of the First coming will be enlarged when He becomes the Lion of the Tribe of Judah at the Second Coming and judges the world. That Divinity was and is the Head of the Messiah, that is, His Controlling Principle, or, as Moses says, He provided the first (in Hebrew, head) part (of the Sacrificial Lamb) for Himself, and embodied in that role the leadership of the people of God (the heads of the people). So it comes about that over the head of Aries appears a triangle (the asterism Deltoton or Triangulum) representing the Triunity of God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, controlling the animal (humanity) below, and the star at the pinnacle of the triangle is called Head of the Triangle (Ras al Thalitha). The Lamb (Heb. Taleh), too, is itself the first (Heb. head) sign of the year, in which is located the "First Point of Aries" or starting point of the Zodiac. It represents in this multifold manner the first and chief of the human flock, the new Adam, and pierced Messiah, Jesus.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 19 Gad, a troop [a foraging host, or, a cutting, a deep furrowing] shall overcome [or, prevail upon, or furrow, pierce] him: but he shall overcome at the last [or, furrow, or, pierce the heel, or rear].

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel. {seated: Heb. cieled}

 

ASHER IN SAGITTARIUS: "MADE FAT AND ABUNDANT"

In Biblical symbol, a human represents divinity and an animal represents humanity, as, for example, in the visions of Daniel 7, where "one like the Son of Man" represents the Kingdom of God, and the beasts represent human kingdoms. Sagittarius (Kasshat in Hebrew) is a man and an animal united in one being, a centaur. In Biblical terms it represents the UNION OF GOD AND MAN in the Messiah. Centaurs were called in Greek "diphyes", "double natured", and the Messiah likewise has two natures, the divine and the human. Here, then, in the blessing of Asher (Sagittarius), the spiritual abundance of the blessing which flows from the sacrifice of the lamb (Aries, Gad) is prophetically announced. From Asher - the forward-moving, successful, rider of the horse in Sagittarius, i.e. by the power of the divinity or divine nature controlling (riding) the humanity (the body of the horse) - his - i.e. Gad's, the pierced Lamb's - bread - the Lamb's flesh now having been turned into spiritual food (bread) by its sacrificial death - will be multiplied - viz. spiritually, made fat, lit. become oily, oil being a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit - and will yield royal dainties - i.e. spiritual nourishment for the children of the Messiah. In the Blessing of Moses, it is promised to Asher that he shall dip his foot in oil. The foot is a reference to the idea of "stepping-forward" conveyed in Hebrew by the name, Asher, and symbolized in Sagittarius by the forward-stepping centaur. The step is dipped in oil, because the movement of the centaur achieves its aims (oil being a symbol of prosperity and success, particularly of the spiritual kind). Historically, too, this was fulfilled when the tribe of Asher occupied the rich olive-producing areas in the north of Israel. The shoes of iron and brass on the forward-stepping foot of Asher are a reference, historically, to the metals abounding in his land (which were worked by the Phoenicians), and, in terms of the Zodiac, to the metal-shod feet of the centaur. The longevity and strength referred to in the Blessing of Moses are symbolized by the well-drawn bow (producing a far-shot arrow = long course of life) in Sagittarius.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 20 Out of Asher his [i.e. Gad's, cf. v. 19] bread shall be fat [i.e. made fat and abundant], and he shall yield royal dainties.

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. {Thy shoes: or, Under thy shoes}

 

NAPHTALI IN LIBRA: "A HIND LET LOOSE"

The sign Libra (Moznayim in Hebrew) depicts the scales of justice, tipped in the weighing of a judicial conflict, one scale rising and the other sinking. This sign aptly represents the meaning of the name Naphtali, My Strugglings, so named by Rachel, because with the strugglings of God [or, great strugglings], have I struggled with my sister [Leah] and have prevailed. Here Rachel's scale is rising and Leah's sinking in the conflict. Hence also, sometimes the scales of Libra are depicted held in the hand of Virgo (= Rachel, see under Virgo), or otherwise the sign is treated as if it were the two claws of Scorpio (representing the power of divine judgment, the strugglings of God, with particular reference to the verbal aspect of the judicial conflict, inasmuch as it is the Scorpion's jaws or claws that are under consideration here). Likewise, in the blessing of Jacob, Naphtali is a female hind (wild goat/sheep) let loose (i.e. Rachel, the ewe, liberated victoriously from the toils of the conflict). The word "giveth" in "giveth goodly words" is literally "yieldeth", used commonly of trees yielding fruit. This reflects, additionally, an identification of Naphtali with a bough (as in the Septuagint Greek translation), the word "hind" (Heb. ayyalah) and bough (eylah) being formed of the same consonants. The Blessing might then be read "Naphtali is a beam (or, bough) released (or, shot forth), which yields (as its fruit) splendid words". The beam of the Scales of Libra, released to make the weighing, is here compared to the bough of a tree, producing as its fruit, in the process of Divine Judgment (the weighing), beautiful words of pleading. Here we see prefigured the beam of the Cross of Calvary, fixed transversely like the beam of the scales, where sin was once for all time judged by God, and where the splendid fruits of the Gospel, pleading for the salvation of mankind, were brought forth. The outcome was the loosing of the Bride (Rachel, Virgo) from the toils of Satan and from her rival the Jewish Orthodox Bride (Leah), and, in addition, her sending forth with the message of remission to be carried to the rest of the world. In the Blessing of Moses, we find also a prophetic reference to the historical location of the tribe of Naphtali in the farthest north and east of the land of Israel, as Naphtali is there commanded to possess, as though these territories did not originally belong to that tribe, the west and the south. This is a prefiguring, in New Testament terms, of the spread of the Gospel from its home in the east and north (the Jewish and then the Greek Orthodox Churches, amongst whom the Gospel was born) latterly into the lands of the west and south (Europe, America, and the southern continents). It is prefigured also in the Zodiac by the tilting of the Scales of Libra in such a way that, what appears from the viewpoint of the northern hemisphere (the viewpoint from Israel) as the northernmost and easternmost star, Zubeneshamali ("The Northern Claw", which can be otherwise interpreted as "The Price Which Covers"), representing one pan of the Scales, is uppermost, whilst the more southerly and westerly star, Zubenelgenubi ("The Southern Claw", also interpretable as "The Price Which Is Deficient"), representing the other pan, is lowest.

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 21 Naphtali is a hind [or, bough] let loose [or, released, shot forth]: he giveth [or, yieldeth] goodly words.

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.

 

BENJAMIN IN CAPRICORN: " He shall DEVOUR THE PREY AND DIVIDE THE SPOIL"

Capricorn (Gedi in Hebrew) has the head of a dying ungulate (ewe) and the rear of a fish. The prey in the Blessing of Jacob is the ewe, Rachel, who died giving birth to Benjamin, the fish. The predatory wolf represents the cause of Rachel's death. In the ancient East death was symbolized by a wild dog, because of the wild dog's habit of scavenging on corpses (cf. the jackal-headed Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead). It was Benjamin himself who in the incidental way of his birth brought about Rachel's death, hence the comparison of Benjamin with the death-dealing wolf in the Blessing. The morning part of the prey (i.e., from the Levantine viewpoint in the northern hemisphere, the earliest rising section of the sign Capricorn, viz. the ewe part, or mother) is utterly consumed by death (by the wolf), whilst the evening portion (i.e. the latest setting section of the sign, viz. the fish part, or son) is left unconsumed. There is also a prophetic reference here to the fact that the Temple was eventually built in the territory of Benjamin and that in the Temple there was offered a morning and evening sacrifice of a lamb (ungulate), one part of which was utterly consumed by fire (the devoured prey) and the other part preserved and distributed amongst the Levitical priests in the evening (the divided spoil). Strictly speaking, Capricorn represents Benjamin's first name Ben-Oni ("Son of my agony") given to him by Rachel in childbirth, and Gemini represents his second name Benjamin ("Son of the right hand"), given to him by Jacob. Hence, the name being Benjamin in the Blessing of Jacob, there is also a reference to Benjamin's identification with the sign Gemini, as one of the two brothers in that sign is depicted in some Zodiacs with the head of a canine (cp. Romulus and Remus, brought up by a wolf, and identified with Gemini; note also that one of the Decans of Gemini is Canis Major [canis = dog], the Hebrew name of which is Zeev, wolf, precisely the word used here, and see further under Simeon and Levi in Gemini). In the sign of Gemini, Benjamin substitutes for Levi (whilst Manasseh replaces Simeon, according to the Blessing of Jacob), hence the Levite (priest) who divided up the remnants of the sacrifice (the wolf dividing the spoil), is appropriately identified with Benjamin in the Blessing (for more on this see under Levi in Gemini).

In the Blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

 

BENJAMIN IN GEMINI: "THE WOLF" "THE BELOVED OF THE LORD SHALL DWELL BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS"

(See further under Simeon and Levi in Gemini.) The Wolf represents God or God's representative, the Levitical priest, as Devourer of the Sacrifice. So Benjamin replaces Levi in Gemini and, historically, provides a place within his territory (Jerusalem) for the Levitical priesthood to "devour" the sacrifices. Comments are inserted in the following passage to explain the fulfillment of the prophecy: "And of Benjamin he said, The Beloved of the LORD [Joseph, and/or the Josephite tribes, typing the Beloved Messiah, Jesus, incorporating redeemed Messianic Jews (Manasseh) and Gentiles (Ephraim) in His One Body] shall dwell [the Shechinah presence under the Old Covenant] in safety by him [in the Temple in Benjamite Jerusalem, or, in terms of the Zodiac, Ephraim-Taurus next to Benjamin-Gemini; beside, but not yet in perfect union with, the people of that city, inasmuch as the redeeming Blood had not yet been shed]; and the LORD [by the presence of the Beloved Messiah] shall cover him [with redeeming Blood] all the [Millennium] day long, and he [the second mention of Joseph, i.e. Manasseh now, the redeemed Messianic Jews] shall dwell [a second mention - the return of the Shechinah presence in the rebuilt Temple] between his [Benjamin's] shoulders [now in perfect union, the Gemini Twins in harmony, their hands laid across eachother's shoulders].

In the blessing of Jacob:

Gen. 49. 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

In the Blessing of Moses:

Deut. 33. 12 ¶ And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

 

 

THE SCRIPTURAL PASSAGES, PLUS THE TARGUMS AND LXX

THE BLESSING OF JACOB

Gen. 49:

1 ¶ And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. {thou shalt...: Heb. do not thou excel} {he went...: or, my couch is gone}
5 ¶ Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. {instruments...: or, their swords are weapons of violence}
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. {digged...: or, houghed oxen}
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 ¶ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13 ¶ Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. {an adder: Heb. an arrow-snake}
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 ¶ Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: {branches: Heb. daughters}
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
28 ¶ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

 

 

THE BLESSING OF MOSES

Deut. 33:

1 ¶ And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. {a fiery...: Heb. a fire of law}
3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6 ¶ Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
8 ¶ And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. {They shall teach: or, Let them teach} {they shall put: or, let them put} {before...: Heb. at thy nose}
11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
12 ¶ And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, {put: Heb. thrust} {moon: Heb. moons}
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. {unicorns: Heb. an unicorn}
18 ¶ And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel. {seated: Heb. cieled}
22 ¶ And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. {Thy shoes: or, Under thy shoes}

 

TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL ON GENESIS WITH PARALLEL PASSAGES FROM THE TARGUM OF JERUSALEM

XLVIII. And after these things it was told Joseph, Behold, thy father is lying ill. And he took his two sons with him., Menasheh and Ephraim. And it was announced to Jakob, saying, Behold, thy son Joseph hath come to thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
And Jakob said to Joseph: El Shadai revealed Himself to me at Luz, in the land of Kenaan, and blessed me. And He said to me, Behold, I will increase thee and multiply thee, and make thee an assemblage of tribes, and will give this land to thy sons after thee for an everlasting inheritance. And now, thy two sons who have been born to thee in the land of Mizraim before I came to thee into Mizraim are mine; Ephraim and Menasheh as Reuben and Shimeon shall be reckoned unto me. And thy children whom thou mayest beget after them shall be thine; by the name of their brethren shall they be called in their inheritance. And I beseech thee to bury me with my fathers. Rahel died by me suddenly in the land of Kenaan, while there was yet much ground to come to Ephrath; nor could I carry her to bury her in the Double Cave, but I buried her there, in the way of Ephrath which is Bethlechem.
And Israel looked at the sons of Joseph and said, From whom are these born to thee? And Joseph answered his father, They are my sons which the Word of the Lord gave me according to this writing, according to which I took Asenath the daughter of Dinah thy daughter to be my wife.
And he said, Bring them now near to me, and I will bless them. But Israel's eyes were heavy from age, and he could not see. And he brought them to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, To see thy face I had not reckoned, but, behold, the Lord hath also showed me thy sons. And Joseph brought them out from (between) his knees, and worshipped on his face upon the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right side, which was Israel's left, and Menasheh on his left side, which was Israel's right, and brought them to him.
And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of Ephraim, though be was the younger; and his left hand upon the head of Menasheh, altering his hands, for Menasheh was the firstborn. [JERUSALEM. He altered his hands.] And he blessed Joseph, and said:
The Lord, before whom my fathers Abraham and Izhak, did serve; the Lord who hath fed me since I have been unto this day, be pleased that the angel whom thou didst ordain for me, to redeem me from all evil, may bless the children; and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Izhak. And as the fishes of the sea in multiplying are multiplied in the sea, so may the children of Joseph be multiplied abundantly in the midst of the earth.
And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand upon Ephraim's head; and it was evil before him, and he uplifted his father's hand to remove it from off the head of Ephraim, that it might rest on the head of Menasheh. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; lay thy right hand on his head. But his father was not willing, and said, I know, my son, I know that he is the firstborn, and also that he will be a great people, and will also be multiplied; yet will his younger brother be greater than he, and his sons be greater among the nations. And he blessed them in that day, saying, In thee, Joseph my son, shall the house of Israel bless their infants in the day of their circumcision, saying, The Lord set thee as Ephraim and as Menasheh. And in the numbering of the tribes the prince of Ephraim shall be numbered before the prince of Menasheh. And he appointed that Ephraim should be before Menasheh.
And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, my end cometh to die. But the Word of the Lord shall be your Helper, and restore you to the land of your fathers; and I, behold, I have given to thee the city of Shekem, one portion for a gift above thy brethren, which I took from the hand of the Amoraee at the time that you went into the midst of it, and I arose and helped you with my sword and with my bow. [Jerusalem. And I, behold, I have given thee one portion. above thy brethren, the robe of the first Adam. Abraham the father of my father took it from the hands of Nimrod the Wicked, and gave it to Izhak my father; and Izhak my father gave it to Esau, and I took it from the hands of Esau my brother, not with my sword nor with my bow, but through my righteousness and my good works.]

XLIX. And Jakob called his sons and said to them, Purify yourselves from uncleanness, and I will show you the hidden mysteries, the ends concealed, the recompense of reward for the righteous, the retribution of the wicked, and the bower of Eden, what it is. And the twelve tribes of Israel gathered themselves together around the golden bed whereon he reclined, and where was revealed to him the Shekina of the Lord, (though) the end for which the king Meshiha is to come had been concealed from him. Then said he, Come, and I will declare to you what shall befall you at the end of the days. Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jakob, and receive instruction from Israel your father.

Reuben thou art my firstborn, the beginning of the strength of my generation, and the chief event of my thoughts To thee belonged the birthright, and the high priesthood, and the kingdom: but because thou hast sinned, my son, the birthright is given to Joseph, and the, kingdom to Jehuda, and the priesthood to Levi. I will liken thee to a little garden in the midst of which there enter torrents swift and strong, which it cannot bear, but is overwhelmed. Be repentant then, Reuben my son, for thou hast sinned, and add not; that wherein thou hast sinned it may be forgiven thee; for it is reckoned to thee as if thou wentest in to have to do with the wife of thy father at the time that thou didst confound my bed upon which thou wentest up.

Shimeon and Levi are brothers of the womb; their thoughts are of sharp weapons for rapine. In their counsel my soul bath not had pleasure, and in their gathering against Shekem. to destroy it mine honor was not united; for in their anger they slew the prince and his ruler, and in their ill will they demolished the wall of their adversary. And Jakob said, Accursed was the town of Shekem. when they entered within it to destroy it in their violent wrath; and their hatred against Joseph, for it was relentless. If, said Jakob, they dwell together, no king nor ruler may stand before them. Therefore will I divide the inheritance of the sons of Shimeon into two portions; one part shall come to them out of the inheritance of the sons of Jehuda, and one part from among the rest of the tribes of Jakob; and the tribe of Levi I will disperse among all the tribes of Israel.

Jehuda, thou didst make confession in the matter of Tamar: therefore shall thy brethren confess thee, and shall be called Jehudain from thy name. Thy hand shall avenge thee of thy adversaries, in throwing arrows upon them when they turn their backs before thee; and the sons of thy fathers shall come before thee with salutations. I will liken thee, my son Jehuda, to a whelp, the young of a lion; for from the killing of Joseph my son thou didst uplift thy soul, and from the judgment of Tamar thou wast free. He dwelleth quietly and in strength, as a lion; and as an old lion when he reposeth, who may stir him up? Kings shall not cease, nor rulers, from the house of Jehuda, nor sapherim teaching the law from his seed, till the time that the King the Meshiha, shall come, the youngest of his sons; and on account of him shall the peoples flow together How beauteous is the King, the Meshiha who will arise from the house of Jehuda! He hath girded his loins, and descended, and arrayed the battle against his adversaries, Slaying kings with their rulers; neither is there any king or ruler who shall stand before him. The mountains become red with the blood of their slain; his garments, dipped in blood, are like the outpressed juice of grapes. How beautiful are the eyes of the king Meshiha, as the pure wine! He cannot look upon what is unclean, nor on the shedding of the blood of the innocent; and his teeth, purer than milk, cannot eat that which is stolen or torn; and therefore his mountains are red with wine, and his hills white with corn, and with the cotes of flocks.

Zebulon shall dwell upon the banks of the sea, and have dominion over the havens he will surmount the breakers of the sea with ships and his border extend unto Zidon.

Issakar is an ass in the law; a strong tribe, knowing the order, of the times; and he lieth down between the, limits of his brethren. And he saw the rest of the world to come that it is good, and the portion of the land of Israel that it is pleasant; therefore bowed he his shoulders to labor in the law, and unto him shall come his brethren bearing presents.

From the house of Dan there is to arise a man who will judge his people with the judgment of truth. All the tribes of Israel will hearken to him together. A chosen man shall arise from the house of Dan, like the basilisk which lieth at the dividing of the way, and the serpent's head which lurketh by the way, that biteth the horse in his heel, and the master from his terror is thrown backward. Even thus will Shimshon bar Manovach slay all the heroes of Philistia, the horsemen and the foot; he will hamstring their horses and hurl their riders backwards.

When Jakob saw Gideon bar Joash and Shimshon bar Manovach, who were established to be deliverers, he said, I expect not the salvation of Gideon, nor look I for the salvation of Shimshon; for their salvation will be the salvation of an hour; but for Thy salvation have I waited, and will look for, 0 Lord; for Thy salvation is the salvation of eternity.

The tribe of Gad with the rest of the tribes will, armed, pass over the streams of Arnona and subdue before them the pillars of the earth, and armed will they return into their limits with much substance and dwell in peace beyond the passage of Jardena; for so will they choose, and it shall be to them to receive their inheritance.

Happy is Asher whose fruitage is plenteous, and whose land aboundeth in balsams and costly perfumes.

Naphatalis a swift messenger, like a hind that runneth on the tops of the mountains, bringing good tidings: he it was who announced that Joseph was living; he it was who hasteneth to go into Mizraim, and bring the contract of the double field in which Esau had no portion; and when he shall open his mouth in the congregation of Israel to give praise, he shall be the chosen of all tongues. Joseph, my son, thou bast become great; Joseph, my son, thou hast become great and mighty; the end (determined) on thee was (that thou shouldst) be mighty, because thou didst subdue thy inclination in the matter of thy mistress, and in the work of thy brethren. Thee will I liken to a vine planted by fountains of water, which sendeth forth her roots, and overrunneth the ridges of stone, and covereth by her branches all unfruitful trees; even so didst thou my son Joseph subject by thy wisdom and thy good works all the magicians of Mizraim; and when, celebrating thy praises, the daughters of princes walking on the high places cast before thee bracelets and chains of gold, that thou shouldst lift up thine eyes upon them, thine eyes thou wouldst not lift up on one of them, to become guilty in the great day of judgment. And all the magicians of Mizraim were bitter and angry against him, and brought accusations against him before Pharoh, expecting to bring him down from his honor They spake against him with the slanderous tongue which is severe as arrows. But he returned to abide in his early strength, and would not yield himself unto sin, and subdued his inclinations by the strong discipline he had received from Jakob, and thence became worthy of being a ruler, and of being joined in the engraving of the names upon the stones of Israel. From the Word of the Lord shall be thy help; and He who is called the All-Sufficient shall bless thee with the blessings which descend with the dew of heaven from above, and with the good blessing of the fountains of the deep which ascend and clothe the herbage from beneath. The breasts are blessed at which thou wast suckled, and the womb in which thou didst lie, The blessings of thy father be added to the blessings wherewith my fathers Abraham and Izhak have blessed me, and which the princes of the world Ishmael and Esau and all the sons of Keturah have desired: let all these blessings be united, and form a diadem of majesty for the head of Joseph, and for the brow of the man who became chief and ruler in Mizraim, and the brightness of the glory of his brethren.

Benjamin is a strong tribe, (like) the wolf (with) his prey. In his land will dwell the Shekina of the Lord of the world, and the house of the sanctuary be builded in his inheritance. In the morning will the priests offer the lamb continually until the fourth hour, and between the evenings the second lamb, and at eventide will they divide the residue remaining of the offering, and eat, every man, his portion.

 

[Jerusalem Targum. And our father Jakob called his sons, and said to them, Gather together, and I will teach yon the concealed end, the secret mysteries, the recompense of reward for the just, and the punishment of the wicked, and the blessedness of Eden, what it is. And the twelve tribes of Jakob assembled and surrounded the golden bed whereon our father Jakob lay, desiring that he should teach them (at the) end in benediction and consolation. Then was revealed to him the secret that had been hidden from him, and then was opened the door which had been shut to him. Our father Jakob turned therefore and blessed his sons, every man according to his good did he bless him.

[When the twelve tribes of Jakob were assembled, and surrounded the golden bed whereon our father Jakob lay, they expected that he would make known to them the order of blessing and consolation: but they were hidden from him. Our father Jakob answered and said to them: From Abraham my father's father arose the profane Ishmael and all the sons of Keturah; and from Izhak my father arose the profane Esau, my brother; and I am afraid lest there should be among you a man whose heart is separated from his brethren to go and worship before strange idols. The twelve tribes of Jakob answered all together, and said, Hear us, Israel our father! The Lord our God is one Lord! And Jakob our father answered, and said, May His Great Name be blessed for ever and ever!

[REUBEN,my firstborn art thou, my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow. To thee my son Reuben would it have pertained to receive three portions above thy brethren, birthright, priesthood, kingdom: but because thou hast sinned, Reuben, my son, the birthright is given unto Joseph, the kingdom to Jehuda, and the high priesthood to the tribe of Levi. I will liken thee, my son Reuben, to a little garden into the midst of which there enter rapid torrents, which it cannot bear, but is carried away before them. Be repentant then, my son Reuben, with good works, for thou hast sinned; and sin no more, that that which thou hast sinned may be forgiven thee.

[5. Shimeon and Levi are brothers of the womb, men who are masters of sharp weapons; they made war from their youth; in the land of their adversary they wrought out the triumphs of war. In their counsels my soul found no pleasure; and in their gathering together at the city of Shekem to destroy it, they were not favorable to my honor; for in their anger they slew kings with princes, and in their willfulness they sold Joseph their brother, who is compared to the ox. Accursed was the town of shekem when Shimeon and Levi entered to destroy it in their wrath, for it was strong, and in their anger, for it was cruel. And Jakob our father said, If these remain together, no people or kingdom can stand before them. I will divide the tribe of Shimeon, that they may become preachers and teachers of the law in the congregation of Jakob; and I will disperse the tribe of Levi in the houses of instruction for the sons of Israel

[8. JEHUDA, thee shall all thy brethren praise, and from thy name shall all be called Jehudaee; thy hand shall avenge thee of thy adversaries; all the sons of thy father shall come before thee with salutation. I will liken thee, my son Jehuda, to a whelp the son of a lion: from the slaying of Joseph thou wast free, from the judgment of Tamar thou, my son, wast acquitted. He remaineth tranquil in the midst of war, as the lion and as the lioness; nor is there people or kingdom that can stand against thee. Kings shall not cease from the house of Jehuda, nor sapherim teaching the law from his children's children, until the time that the King Meshiha shall come, whose is the kingdom, and to whom all the kingdoms of the earth shall be obedient. How beauteous is the King Meshiha, who is to arise from the house of Jehuda!

[Binding his loins, and going forth to war against them that hate him, he will slay kings with princes, and make the rivers red with the blood of their slain, and his hills white with the fat of their mighty ones; his garments will be dipped in blood, and he himself be like the juice of the winepress. More beautiful are the eyes of the king Meshiha to behold than pure wine; they will not look upon that which is unclean, or the shedding of the blood of the innocent. His teeth are employed according to the precept rather than in eating the things of violence and rapine; his mountains shall be red with vines, and his presses with his wine, and his hills be white with much corn and with flocks of sheep.

[14. ISSAKAR is a strong tribe, and his limits shall be in the midst between two boundaries. And he saw the house of the sanctuary, which is called Quietness, that it is good, and the land that its fruits are rich; and bared his shoulders to labor in the law, and to him shall be all his brethren bringing tribute.

[17. (Of DAN) He will be the deliverer who is to arise, strong will he be and elevated above all kingdoms. And be will be like the serpent that lieth in the way, and the basilisk which lurketh at the dividing of the road, which striketh the horse in his heel, and thinketh by the terror of him to throw his rider backward. He is Shimshon bar Manovach, who will be a terror upon his adversaries, and a fear upon them that hate him, and who will slay kings with princes. Our father Jakob said, My soul hath not waited for the redemption of Gideon bar Joash which is for an hour, nor for the redemption of Shimshon which is a creature redemption, but for the Redemption which Thou hast said in Thy Word shall come for Thy people the sons of Israel, for this Thy Redemption my soul hath waited.

[19. From the house of GAD will go forth hosts arrayed in arms. They will bring Israel over Jardena put them in possession of the land of Kenaan, and afterwards return in peace to their tabernacles.

[Of happy Asher how fertile is the land! His land shall satisfy with dainties the kings of the sons of Israel.

[Naphtali is a swift messenger declaring good tidings. He first declared to our father Jakob that Joseph was yet in life, and he went down to Mizraim in a little time, and brought the contract of the Double Field from the palace of Joseph. And when he openeth his mouth in the congregation of Jakob, his tongue is sweet as honey.

[22. My son who hast become great, JOSEPH, my son, who hast become great, and waxed mighty, that thou wouldst become mighty was foreseen. Thee, Joseph, my son, will I liken to a vine planted by fountains of water, which sendeth her roots into the depth and striketh the ridges of the rocks, uplifting herself on high and surmounting all the trees. So hast thou, O Joseph my son, risen by thy wisdom above all magicians of Mizraim, and all the wise men who were there, what time thou didst ride in the second chariot of Pharoh, and they proclaimed before thee and said, This is the father of the king, Long live the, father of the king Great in wisdom, though few in years. And the daughters of kings and of princes danced before thee at the windows, and beheld thee from the balconies, and scattered before thee bracelets rings collars, necklaces, and all ornaments of gold, in hope thou wouldst uplift thine eyes and regard one of them. But thou my son Joseph wast far from lifting thine eyes on any one of them, though the daughters of kings and of princes spake one to another, This is the holy man Joseph, who walks not after the sight of his eyes nor after the imagination of his heart; because the sight of the eyes and the imagination of his heart make the son of woman to perish from the world. Therefore will arise from thee the two tribes Menasheh and Ephraim, who shall receive portion and inheritance with their brethren in the dividing of the land. The magicians of Mizraim and all the wise men spake against him, but could not prevail over him; they spake evil of him before his lord, they accused him before Pharoh king of Mizraim, to bring him down from his dignity; they spake against him in the palace of Pharoh with a slanderous tongue severe as arrows. But the strength of his confidence remained in both his hands and his arms, and he sought mercy from the strength of his father Jakob, under the arms of whose power the tribes of Israel are led, and do come. Blessed are the breasts that suckled thee, and the womb in which thou didst lie. The blessing of thy father be added upon thee, upon the blessings wherewith thy fathers Abraham and Izhak who are like mountains blessed thee, and upon the blessing of the four mothers' Sarah, Rivekah, Rahel, and Leah, who are like hills; let all these blessings come, and make a diadem of majesty upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the man who became a chief and ruler in the land of Mizraim, and the brightness of the glory of his brethren.

[17. (Of BENJAMIN) I will liken him to a ravening wolf. In his limits will the sanctuary be builded, and in his inheritance the glory of the Shekina of the Lord will dwell. In the morning will the priests offer the continual lamb and its oblations, and at the going down of the sun will the priests offer the continual lamb and its oblations, and at evening divide the offerings of the sons of Israel.]

 

LXX:

Gen. 49:

3 Ruben, thou art my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, hard and self-willed.
4 Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch, whereupon thou wentest up.
5 Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off.
6 Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they slew men, and in their passion they houghed a bull.
7 Cursed be their wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Juda, thy brethren have praised thee, and thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall do thee reverence.
9 Juda is a lion's whelp: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him up?
10 A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations.
11 Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the branch of it, he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.
12 His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he shall be by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon.
14 Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances.
15 And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labor, and became a husbandman.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel.
17 And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward),
18 waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
19 Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, pursuing him closely.
20 Aser, his bread shall be fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes.
21 Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.
22 Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me.
23 Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached him, and the archers pressed hard upon him.
24 But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is he that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father;
25 and my God helped thee, and he blessed thee with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of the blessing of the breasts and of the womb,
26 the blessings of thy father and thy mother-- it has prevailed above the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of the brothers of whom he took the lead.
27 Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food.

Deut. 33:

6 Let Ruben live, and not die; and let him be many in number.
7 And this is the blessing of Juda; Hear, Lord, the voice of Juda, and do thou visit his people: his hands shall contend for him, and thou shalt be a help from his enemies.
8 And to Levi he said, Give to Levi his manifestations, and his truth to the holy man, whom they tempted in the temptation; they reviled him at the water of strife.
9 Who says to his father and mother, I have not seen thee; and he knew not his brethren, and he refused to know his sons: he kept thine oracles, and observed thy covenant.
10 They shall declare thine ordinances to Jacob, and thy law to Israel: they shall place incense in the time of thy wrath continually upon thine altar.
11 Bless, Lord, his strength, and accept the works of his hands; break the loins of his enemies that have risen up against him, and let not them that hate him rise up.
12 And to Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in confidence, and God overshadows him always, and he rested between his shoulders.
13 And to Joseph he said, His land is of the blessing of the Lord, of the seasons of sky and dew, and of the deeps of wells below,
14 and of the fruits of the changes of the sun in season, and of the produce of the months,
15 from the top of the ancient mountains, and from the top of the everlasting hills,
16 and of the fullness of the land in season: and let the things pleasing to him that dwelt in the bush come on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of him who was glorified above his brethren.
17 His beauty is as the firstling of his bull, his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall thrust the nations at once, even from the end of the earth: these are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasse.
18 And to Zabulon he said, Rejoice, Zabulon, in thy going out, and Issachar in his tents.
19 They shall utterly destroy the nations, and ye shall call men there, and there offer the sacrifice of righteousness; for the wealth of the sea shall suckle thee, and so shall the marts of them that dwell by the seacoast.
20 And to Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlarges Gad: as a lion he rested, having broken the arm and the ruler.
21 And he saw his firstfruits, that there the land of the princes gathered with the chiefs of the people was divided; the Lord wrought righteousness, and his judgment with Israel.
22 And to Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp, and shall leap out of Basan.
23 And to Nephthali he said, Nephthali has the fulness of good things; and let him be filled with blessing from the Lord: he shall inherit the west and the south.
24 And to Aser he said, Aser is blessed with children; and he shall be acceptable to his brethren: he shall dip his foot in oil.
25 His sandal shall be iron and brass; as thy days, so shall be thy strength.

 

 

 

 

THE BIBLE BIRTHSTONES

Hebrew Name: Odem.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: Red-Earth-Colored or Flesh-Colored Stone. The letters of the Hebrew name are the same from which is formed the name Adam, and Adam was so called because his flesh was formed by God out of the red earth.
Targum Name: Samkan, Simmuktha, Samketha.
Meaning of Targum Name: Red Stone. From "smek" to be red, as of meat, or of someone under the influence of wine.
Greek Names in Old Testament (LXX): Sardion. (Josephus: 1. Sardion [BJ 5. 234] 2. Sardonyx. [AJ 3. 168])
Greek Name in New Testament: Sardios.
Meaning of Greek Name: Fuller's-Earth-Colored Stone. Latin "Sarda" Greek "Sardes" was a kind of fuller's earth found in Sardinia (probably identical to the Hebrew "Sered" which Kimhi translates "red chalk"). Evidently the stone was the same ruddy color as this earth. (Josephus' second name, Sardonyx, represents just another type of Sard, see under Pitdah.)
Latin Vulgate Name: Sardius.
KJV Name: OT and NT: Sardius.
Modern Name: Sard, Carnelian and similar stones. Sard is a borrowing from the Latin and Greek name, and carnelian is a borrowing from another Latin name for the same gem, the "flesh-colored stone", from the Latin carnis, "flesh". A red variety of fibrous cryptocrystalline quartz ("chalcedony", see under Yahalom Modern Name). All the stones in the breastplate are forms or compounds of quartz or silica (SiO2). The name quartz comes from the Anglo-Saxon word querklufterz which means cross vein ore. It represents the veins of the earth (out of which man was made), or otherwise the bloodline of mankind. In the breastplate, it represents the particular bloodline of the Sons of Israel.



Hebrew Name: Pitdah.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: Prize. The Hebrew name comes from the root p-d (see on this root Gesenius, Lexicon, s.v. bdd), meaning to seize as of prey or a prize by an animal, to spoil, to rend, to take, take back, redeem etc.
Targum Name: Yarkan, Yarketha.
Meaning of Targum Name: Tawny Colored Stone. The color indicated by the root meaning of the name is something between pale, green, yellow, tawny, and waxy. It is used to describe the color of gold and bronze (yellow, tawny) and also to describe the paleness of an afflicted face, and of wax, as well as the greenness of herbs.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Topazion. (Josephus: Topazos.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Sardonyx.
Meaning of Greek Names: 1) Topazion is supposed to be a borrowing from the Hebrew: the Hebrew letters ptd (with the ending -h) becoming in Greek tpz (with the ending -ion) with p and t transposed and d becoming z (the Greek zeta pronounced something in between z and d). According to Pliny the name topazion was of Middle-Eastern origin and meant something prized or to be sought out. 2) Sardonyx = Fuller's-Earth-and-Bone-Colored-Stone. The first part of the name is "sard", the red-earth or flesh colored stone, corresponding to the Hebrew Odem, and the second part of the name is the Greek "onyx" meaning nail, claw or bone or a stone of that texture and color. The dual meaning represents the same idea as the stone's Hebrew name Pitdah, the "prize" of an animal, the flesh rent by a claw. The color was a mixture of red (sard) and creamy white bone-color (onyx), some stones being of a banded orange color, others banded red, brown or pink.
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Topazius; NT: Sardonyx.
KJV Names: OT: Topaz; NT: Sardonyx.
Modern Name: Sardonyx and similar stones. Sardonyx is a borrowing from the Greek name. It is a variety of fibrous cryptocrystalline quartz ("chalcedony", see under Yahalom Modern Name), the same chemically as sard but with white or creamy streaks, shades or bands.



Hebrew Name: Bareket.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: Sparkling like Lightning. The Hebrew word from which this name is formed refers usually to a flash of light from the sky, of lightning or a thunderbolt, and secondarily to the glittering of metal or of a gemstone. The allusion in the Hebrew name to lightning and glittering light suggests the stone was seen as being more of a bright yellow tint than green.
Targum Name: Barkan, Barkatha.
Meaning of Targum Name: Same as the Hebrew.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Smaragdos. (Josephus: Smaragdos.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Smaragdos.
Meaning of Greek Name: Thunderbolt Stone. Smaragdos or maragdos is a borrowing (with exchange of m for b, g for k and d for t, and the addition of an optional initial s) from the Hebrew bareket. The Greek marage or smarage, like the Hebrew barak, means thunder(bolt).
Latin Vulgate Name: OT and NT: Zmaragdus.
KJV Names: OT: Carbuncle; NT: Emerald.
Modern Name: Heliodor and similar stones. Heliodor is also known as Yellow Beryl. It is a yellow variety of the stone called in earlier ages Emerald (the latter a borrowing through the French esmeraud from smaragdos). Though Emerald in modern usage denotes a brilliant green gem, the color of the ancient smaragdos could vary through the spectrum of yellow and green. It was a variety of Beryl, Be3Al2Si6O18, of the class cyclosilicates. This is a relatively common mineral but contains the rare element beryllium.



Hebrew Name: Nophek.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: Stibium-like Ornamental Stone. The Hebrew root from which this word is formed produces also the Hebrew word puk meaning 1) sea-weed or the pigment of sea-weed and 2) stibium, antimony or kohl. Stibium was a dark eyeliner applied by women to the eyes both as a protective layer around, and as a beautification of, the eyes. "Stones of puk" are said to have been put into the Temple in Jerusalem and may be presumed to have had an ornamental or beautifying function such as stibium had for the eyes. The other meaning "pigment of sea-weed" for puk suggests a green color for the gemstone nophek, whose name is derived from the same root. This is confirmed by the New Testament Greek name (see below).
Targum Names: Izmargadin, Izmorad, Kadkedana.
Meaning of Targum Names: 1) Izmargadin etc.: a borrowing from the Greek Smaragdos 2) Kadkedana: seemingly a borrowing from the Greek Chalcedon, though the name also makes sense in Hebrew and Aramaic: Kadkod in Biblical Hebrew is kadkodin or kadkedana in the Aramaic of the Targums, from the root k-d-d, to pound, strike fire, toil, this a reduplicated form, conveying the sense "repeated strikings for fire."
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Anthrax. (Josephus: Anthrax.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Chalcedon (some texts: Carchedon and Anthrax).
Meaning of Greek Names: 1) Anthrax means coal or charcoal and is a reference to the kohl or charcoal-like eyeliner, otherwise known as stibium or antimony. 2) Chalcedon. This is the form in the original Greek and Calcedonius is the Vulgate's Latin translation. Some texts of the Apocalypse substitute Anthrax, or remark that "Carchedon" is also called Anthrax. The gemstone is one of the twelve types of emerald (smaragdus) described by Pliny in his Natural History and is said to have been found near the Asian (Turkish) town of Chalcedon - hence the name. It is said to have been of a dark green hue like the feathers in the tail of a peacock. These not only are of a dark green color, but are also located around eye-like patterns (compare the meaning of the Hebrew name). Elsewhere Pliny describes this stone as a Iaspis (Jasper) of a turbid hue. He notes particularly that certain specimens of the stone had a flesh-colored mark in them, corresponding to the variety of Chalcedony known nowadays as Bloodstone. In folklore the mark is supposed to represent the Blood of Christ. The stone in Rev. 4. 3 which is descriibed as "Iaspis and Sardios-like" with a "smaragdos-like" irridescence seems to be a Chalcedonian Bloodstone of this type, the Iaspis being the standard green Chalcedony, mixed, as it was in the Bloodstone, with "Sard-like", i.e. red, flesh-colored, elements, the gem in whole being a type of smaragdos. Pliny also refers to a stone which was half smaragdus and half iaspis (the latter not completely transfigured from its liquid rock condition), a huge specimen of which was kept in a Temple in Tyre.
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Carbunculus; NT: Calcedonius.
KJV Names: OT: Emerald; NT: Chalcedony.
Modern Name: Chalcedony and similar stones. Chalcedony is a green-colored fibrous cryptocrystalline quartz (this type of quartz being designated "chalcedony" as a generic name). See under Yahalom Modern Name for details.



Hebrew Name: Sappir.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Brightened Stone. The Hebrew name comes from the word saphar, lit. to scratch or scrape, then to polish, to be made radiant or beautiful (whence this meaning is adduced), and also to inscribe, to write.
Targum Names: Shabzez, Sappirinon, Simporyana.
Meaning of Targum Names: 1) Shabzez, or Shabziza is formed from the root b-z, meaning to cleave, shatter, divide, plunder: it is The Cleft Stone 2) Sappirinon, Simporyana is the same as the Hebrew sappir and the Greek sappheiros.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Sappheiros. (Josephus: Sappheiros.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Sappheiros.
Meaning of Greek Name: The Greek name is a direct borrowing from the Hebrew. The name has passed over from Greek and Latin into English as "sapphire", but the Greek sappheiros and the Hebrew sappir were not the modern sapphire but the very different lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli is more strikingly blue-colored even than the sapphire and is often flecked with little patches of gold. This marking or flecking with bright patches is perhaps what is referred to in its Hebrew name.
Latin Vulgate Name: OT: NT: Sapphyrus.
KJV Name: OT and NT: Sapphire.
Modern Name: Lapis Lazuli and similar stones. The name Lapis Lazuli comes from the Persian word lazhward meaning blue, in allusion to its color. Lapis Lazuli has been highly valued for many thousands of years. The most famous locality for fine quality lapis lazuli is the same ancient deposit high in the mountains of Afghanistan where it was originally mined at least 6000 years ago. It usually occurs in crystalline limestones as a result of contact metamorphism and is characteristically recognized by its color. Lapis Lazuli is sulphato-silicate of sodium and aluminum. Its chemical composition is (mainly) as follows: Lazurite: (Na,CA)8(AlSiO4)6(SO4,S,Cl)2 Hauynite: (Na,CA)4-8(AlSiO4)6(SO4)1-2 Sodalite: Na8(AlSiO4)6Cl2 Noselite: Na8(AlSiO4)6SO4 Calcite: CaCO3 Pyrite: FeS2.



Hebrew Name: Yahalom.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Striking Stone. The Hebrew name comes from the word halam, lit. to strike or beat or hammer. It is used of being "smitten" with wine, and since the most prized tint of this particular gemstone in the ancient world was a rich purple color (see below), it is probable that the reference in the Hebrew name is to the overwhelming impact of its wine-colored tint on the beholder.
Targum Names: Sabhalom or Sibhalom, Kadkodin, Eyn-igla.
Meaning of Targum Names: Same as the Hebrew yahalom, but the initial sab, if from the Aramaic seba, "to drink freely," makes explicit the implicit meaning of the Hebrew name: it is the stone that smites one as if drunk on wine. For Kadkodin see under Nophek and for Eyn-Igla under Achlamah.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Iaspis. (Josephus: Iaspis.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Iaspis.
Meaning of Greek Name: All the ancient versions give the Greek name Iaspis (Jasper) to the Hebrew Yahalom when referring to the breastplate stone. Commonly the Greek Iaspis was green, but the most precious variety (as one would expect to find in the breastplate) was purple, according to Pliny. The Targumic names Kadkodin and Eyn-Igla are treated under Nophek and Achlamah respectively, and it will be seen that the first of these is, like this gem, referred to also as a "iaspis" ("jasper"), and both the latter gems are also termed "smaragdos" ("emerald"). The ancients used these names in a different way to modern minerologists. The Greek name Iaspis is thought actually to be a borrowing from the Hebrew Yashpheh (see under that name), but it was capable of a broader meaning. Here it is clearly the Greek name of the Hebrew gem Yahalom. (This is a common occurrence in mineralogical nomenclature. For example, the modern topaz is not the same as the ancient topaz [topazion], which appears to have been what we now call peridot. Also the actual Greek name topazion is of foreign derivation and seems to be a borrowing from the Hebrew pitdah [see under that name], and yet pitdah is the modern sardonyx!)
Latin Vulgate Name: OT and NT: Iaspis.
KJV Names: OT: Diamond; NT: Jasper.
Modern Name: Jasper and similar stones, in this case of a rich purple shade, like Pliny's Jasper from Phrygia and Cappadocia. Note: Pliny's Jasper has a wider application than the modern gem so called. Jasper is a variety of the mineral Quartz (SiO2). Quartz (silica) is the most abundant single mineral on earth. It makes up about 12% of the earth's crust, occurring in a wide variety of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Quartz varieties are commonly separated into two groups based on the size of the individual grains or crystals; macrocrystalline quartz (Achlamah-Amethyst comes in this group) in which individual crystals are distinguishable with the naked eye, and cryptocrystalline quartz in which the individual crystals are too small to be easily distinguishable under the light microscope. The cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz may be separated into two types; fibrous (Nophek-Chalcedony, Pitdah-Sardonyx and Odem-Sardios come in this type) and microgranular (Yahalom-Jasper comes in this type). Jasper is a variety of chert, which is the general term applied to granular cryptocrystalline quartz varieties. It is thought to form by the replacement of calcareous rock by silica-rich solutions, also by direct marine precipitation of silica gel or organic silica. Jasper is commonly associated with interbedded hematite ore deposits of Precambrian age. It occurs as a petrifying agent in fossil wood and bone. Jasper's typical reddish brown color is due to hematite or goethite elements. Jasper is characterized by its occurance, hardness, fracture, specific gravity, refractive index and luster.



Hebrew Name: Achlamah.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Stone That Turns White. The Hebrew name comes from the root ch-l-m, which means to be fatty, white or creamy colored, or dreamy. This is a purple-colored stone, but is of a much deeper violet hue than the Yahalom, sparkling and translucent. The name seems to refer to the fact that the stone turns a creamy color when heated, with an appearance like an open eye when creamy round the edges (cf. the Targumic name which mean "Eye of a Calf").
Targum Names: Eyn-igla, Eyn-egla, Eyn-egel, Zemargedin.
Meaning of Targum Names: 1) Eye of a Calf (Eyn-igla, Eyn-egla, Eyn-egel); 2) Zemargedin: a transcription of the Greek smaragdos.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Amethystos. (Josephus: Amethystos.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Amethystos.
Meaning of Greek Name: The Unintoxicated Stone. The Greek name is formed of two elements: 1. a-, which means "not" or "un-" (like the "un-" in "unreal", "unreliable" etc.) and 2. methystos, drunken, intoxicated". It was believed in popular superstition to prevent drunkenness. Presumably this was because of its ability to change color from wine-like purple to creamy white, resulting in a "wide-open eye" effect (cp. the Targumic Eyn-igla, "Eye of a Calf").
Latin Vulgate Name: OT and NT: Amethistus.
KJV Name: OT and NT: Amethyst.
Modern Name: Amethyst and similar stones. The name is a borrowing from the Greek. A purple variety of macrocrystalline quartz (see under Yahalom Modern name).



Hebrew Name: Shevo.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Seized Prize. The Hebrew word shavah from which this name seems to be derived means to take into captivity, to seize as spoil of war.
Targum Names: Tarkeya, Arekin, Beyrulin.
Meaning of Targum Names: 1) Tarkeya, Arekin are, seemingly, transcriptions of the gem's Greek name hyakinthos, with the diphthong hya- represented as are- and -ar-, and the last phoneme (-inth[os]) reduced to -n (in Arekin), or transposed as t (the dull initial teth in Tarkaya). The variant form Tarikin preserves both sounds, -n- and -th-. 2) On Beyrulin see under Shoham (beyrulin = Gk. beryllion, beryl).
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Achates. (Josephus: Achates.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Hyakinthos.
Meaning of Greek Names: 1) Achates is the name of a river where this stone was found; the name means "No Lack", and was a by-word for a "faithful friend". 2) Hyakinthos is the name of a young man who was snatched out of this world supernaturally, because of the love of the divinity for him, the spot being marked by the blue flower which sprang up there, bearing on it the letters AI meaning "Woe!".
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Achates; NT: Hyacinthus.
KJV Names: OT: Agate; NT: Jacinth.
Modern Name: The common translation Achates (Quartz) and the alternative translation Hyakinthos suggest that this stone was a translucent blue quartz. Blue Aventurine is such a stone, and has a particularly striking, pale blue, watery, appearance. Chemical composition: SiO2 (Quartz, silica) colored blue by the mineral Dumortierite: (Al,Fe3+)7O3(BO3)(SiO4)3. Class: tectosilicate.



Hebrew Name: Leshem.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Firm Stone. The name is derived from the root l-y-sh, meaning to be strong, firm, bold. A variant form is Laish (same meaning), which also means lion (from its boldness).
Targum Names: Kankeri, Kankirinon, Zozin.
Meaning of Targum Names: 1) Kankeri and Kankirinon appear to be transcriptions of the Greek kenchr�= kenchros, and kenchrinon, meaning millet, a small-seeded cereal grass, and anything in small grains, particularly a small jewel, so named because of its millet-like appearance. 2) Zozin is from the root z-w-z = glitter, gleam, shake, move about.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Ligourion. (Josephus: 1. Ligourion [BJ 5. 234], 2. Ligouros [AJ 3. 168].)
Greek Name in New Testament: Chrysoprasos.
Meaning of Greek Names: 1) Ligourion means the "Ligurian Stone", Liguria being a country in the Celtic realms of the South of France where the giants were believed to have fought against the powers of Heaven. The ancestor of the Ligurians was the stone-giant Ligys. This Greek name seems to be simply a transcription of the Hebrew stone-name Laish (l-y-sh), a variant of Leshem, "The Firm Stone". There was a gem called Lygkourion which is thought to be identical with this, and the first element in that stone name is the Greek word for lynx, a large wild cat which could be classified as a layish ("lion") in Biblical Hebrew and whose name seems, in fact, to be simply a transcription from the Hebrew word. The second element means "watch", so both elements combined reflect the same sense as the stone's modern name "Cat's eye". The Targumic name Zozin likewise alludes to the glittering or moving-ray effect of this stone. 2) Chrysoprasos means "The Gold-leek-green Stone" and is descriptive of its color. Pliny describes it as the third type of Beryllos, of a leek-like green color, varying between that of peridot and gold. The Targumic names Kankeri and Kankirinon (Greek kenchr�/i>, kenchrinon) similarly connote an appearance as of grains of grass (millet).
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Ligyrius; NT: Chrysoprasus.
KJV Names: OT: Ligure; NT: Chrysoprasus.
Modern Name: Cat's Eye Quartz and similar stones. Cat's-eye quartz is a macrocrystalline variety of the mineral Quartz (SiO2), in this case, of a beautiful green color, with tints of gold (like a cat's eye). The reference to the lion or lynx in the name is probably an allusion, not only to the stone's color, but also, and more particularly, to the "cat's eye" effect from which this variety of Quartz receives its name. This is due to the presence of asbestiform (fibrous) mineral inclusions or tubelike cavities in parallel orientation within the quartz. These parallel oriented features reflect light in the form of a well-defined bright band which moves across the surface of the material as it is turned. When fashioned with a rounded surface or "cabochon" shape, this "cat's-eye" effect is much more pronounced. Cat's-eye quartz is generally recognized by its chatoyant luster and hardness (cp. the name "firm stone").



Hebrew Name: Yashpheh.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Smooth Stone. The name is derived from the root sh-ph-h which means to smooth, purge away defects, scrape off, etc. It is thought to have been taken over into Greek in the form Iaspis (Jasper).
Targum Names: Panteyri, Panteyrey, Margenith-appanturin, Margalitha.
Meaning of Targum Names: Margenith, Margalitha, mean "jewel" (sometimes, more specifically "pearl" - a borrowing from the Greek margarit�, pearl) and Panteyri, Panteyrey and Appanturin are derivatives of panteyr, "panther, leopard", so this gem is the "leopard jewel" - presumably a reference to its beautiful green color, reminiscent of a leopard's eye.
Greek Name in Old Testament (LXX): Onychion. (Josephus: Onyx.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Topazion.
Meaning of Greek Names: 1) Topazion is thought to be borrowed from the Hebrew Pitdah meaning "Prized or Sought Out" (see under the stone name Pitdah). 2) Onychion (Onyx) means "Having the quality of nail or bone". The ancient Topazion was not the same as the modern Topaz, as it could be filed and was a green color. In Biblical times it was mined in one particular island in the Red Sea, called Topazios (known today as Zebirget or Isle of St. John). The ancient gem's semi-translucent, bone-like, constituency is illustrated by the fact that its name alternates variously with the Greek Onychion, Onyx (above) and Sard-onyx (see under the stone name Pitdah), which all contain the onyx (bone, nail) element. It is thought to be the modern green gem Peridot.
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Berillus; NT: Topazius.
KJV Names: OT: Jasper; NT: Topaz.
Modern Name: Peridot and similar stones. The modern name, coming into English from French, is thought to have been borrowed at the time of the Crusades from the Arabic faridat = gem (appropriately, in view of its traditional association with the island of Zebirget in Arabia). Chemical composition (MgFe)2SiO4 of the class nesosilicate. From ancient times until the eighteenth century, peridot was referred to as Topazion or 'topaz', the gem found on the island in the Red Sea. In the eighteenth century the name topaz was restricted to our mineral topaz of today, and gem olivine became known as peridot. It is a gem variety of the olivine mineral group (from Latin oliva, olive, reflecting the stone's color). The olivines are isomorphous (all have the same crystal structure), with varying chemical compositions. The green color of peridot, the gem variety of olivine, is mainly dependent on the amount of ferrous iron present, this color then being modified by trace amounts of Fe3+, Ti4+ and Ni2+. Peridot gems have a hardness of about 6.5, which makes them very suitable for use as gemstones in earrings, brooches and pendants. Peridot (olivine) commonly crystalizes very early in the crystallizing sequence of mafic and ultra-mafic igneous rocks at relatively high temperatures. The masses of peridot grains are thrown out as volcanic bombs. Peridot is also found as glassy grains in stony meteorites.



Hebrew Name: Shoham.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Astounding Stone. The name derives most probably from the biconsonantal root sh-m, meaning to be desolated, astounded, devastated, with an intensive medial -h. This stone was of great significance as it was also used on the shoulders of the High Priest's breastplate. Two Shoham stones, placed one on each shoulder, bore the names of the twelve sons of Israel, the patriarchs of the tribes, six on each stone "for the names of the sons of Israel" and "according to their births". (By contrast, the twelve stones of the breastplate were "for the names of the sons of Israel" only.)
Targum Name: Burela, Birleyvath-chala, Bedulcha.
Meaning of Targum Names: 1) Burela (otherwise Birela), as well as Birleyvath- (otherwise Burelath-) is identical to the Greek beryllos, "beryl", and chala means "sand", so this is the "Sand-colored Beryl" (Jastrow suggests it is the Chrysoberyl, Yellow Emerald, or Heliodor, see under Bareket). 2) Bedulcha means "crystal".
Greek Names in Old Testament (LXX): Beryllion. Elsewhere in LXX: Prasinos, Sardion, Smaragdos, Soom [transcription of Heb.] Onyx. (Josephus: Beryllos, elsewhere: Sardonyx.)
Greek Name in New Testament: Beryllos.
Meaning of Greek Name: Beryllos is probably derived from the Hebrew root b-r-tz, meaning break through or out, form a peak or accumulation, here by crystallization. The last letter of this root -tz alternates with -d and -d with -l. Hence we find in the Targums, beyrulin (the name of a precious stone = Gk. beryllion, beryl) alternating with the form biyrutzin (see Jastrow's Dictionary, s.v. beyrulin). So beyrutz (a heaping up or peaking, the singular of beyrutzin, this plural being used to mean "the remnants of the overflow" of liquids) would become beyrul and in Greek beryll-os. The other Targumic variant Bedulcha = Hebrew Bedolach, translated in the Greek LXX as anthrax (a green smaragdos-type stone, the Nophek also being translated anthrax, see under that stone name), or krystallos, crystal. The Greek Beryllos was similarly a type of smaragdos, of a sea-green color. The manna is described as being like the color of the Bedolach stone. According to Pliny the best type of Beryllos was from India and was of a sea-green color, of hexagonal form.
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Onychinus, Onyx, Lapis Sardonychus; NT: Beryllus.
KJV Names: OT: Onyx; NT: Beryl.
Modern Name: Beryl and similar stones. Beryl is a beautiful gem of a sea-green hue (chemical composition Be3Al2Si6O18 of the class cyclosilicates). It is a relatively common mineral although it does contain the rare element beryllium. Another of its varieties is the intense green (modern) Emerald.



Hebrew Name: Tarshish.
Meaning of Hebrew Name: The Stone from Tarshish. Tarshish is Tartessus, Spain, and the place-name means "Subjection" from the root r-sh-sh, crush, oppress, subdue, dash against. In the Song of Solomon 5. 14, the Tarshish stone is said to be set beautifully with gold, and this confirms its identification with the Greek Chrysolithos, which had the same characteristic.
Targum Names: Kerum-yama, Kerum-yama-rabba.
Meaning of Targum Names: Kerum means "color" (particularly yellow or green) and Yama means "Sea" (with Rabba, "great", the "Great Sea", or Mediterranean). The name in full means "The Gem Colored Golden Green like the Sea."
Greek Names in Old Testament (LXX): Chrysolithos. (Josephus: Chrysolithos.) Elsewhere in LXX: Anthrax.
Greek Name in New Testament: Chrysolithos.
Meaning of Greek Name: The Gold Stone. This name likely reflects the use to which the stone was put, according to Pliny, namely as a complement to gold, set beside which it made the metallic gold look silver. It was transparent and refulgent like gold.
Latin Vulgate Names: OT: Chrysolitus, Hyacinthus, Mare ("Sea", cp. Yama, "Sea", in the Targumic names); NT: Chrysolithus.
KJV Names: OT: Beryl; NT: Chrysolyte.
Modern Name: The Greek translation Anthrax (a green stone, see under Nophek), the Targumic and Vulgate references to "Sea" and the Vulgate translation Hyacinthus (a watery blue stone, see under Shevo), all point to this stone's being a translucent sea-green (or watery color), but with a brilliant golden radiance, as indicated by the common translation Chrysolithos. Furthermore the translation Anthrax suggests it was a type of quartz. The greeny-golden Citrine meets these requirements.