Stones on THE BREASTPLATE OF AARON - Exodus 28:16-20

New International Version 

“16: It is to be square – a span long and a span wide – and folded double. 17: Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be Carnelian, Chrysolite and Beryl; 18: the second row shall be Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli and Emerald; 19: the third row shall be Jacinth, Agate and Amethyst; 20: the fourth row shall be Topaz, Onyx and Jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21: There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.”

I have created a small pack using a sample of the stones mentioned in Exodus 28; 16-20

~ Organza bag

~ 12 Gemstones of the bible 

~ Laminated card with Bible Verse

I have tried to use Australian Stones where I can, some stones like Jacinth and Chrysolite are only found as small stones when mined. I have included labels on each Stone to help with identification.

I am sure that the Stones used in the Breastplate of Aaron were much more magnificent, by all accounts they were big and cut they were also inscribed with the Names of the 12 Tribes of Israel. 

These packs are individually chosen and include at least one of every Stone. Because of the nature of natural stones of course no two sets are exactly the same.  

Below is some further information. 

THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS AND INCLUDES THOUGHTS OF HIGHLY EDUCATED SCHOLARS FROM THE EARLY FIRST CENTURY.

The Bible has been translated many times over the years. Stones have been identified and renamed, translated wrongly perhaps, it’s been hard to identify what the Creator’s original list looked like. 

The list of gemstones in the Breastplate varies in every version of Exodus. Descriptions of gemstones from the Bible are always difficult to interpret, since there was scant scientific understanding of mineral composition until much later. In fact, it is only really since the work of Georgius Agricola in (1494-1555) that gemstones have begun to be properly understood.

Many scholars over the years have differing views on the subject of the stones that were used in The breast-plate of Aaron which was also called the “breastplate of Judgement.” Aaron was a High Priest of the Israelites and the breast-plate was made in order to communicate with God, to have “the  Will Of God” in the situations he faced in his role.

However, with this said, The very first academic research of the Breastplate was carried out by Roman scholar Titus Flavius Josephus in (c.37-100AD), who apart from having a fabulous name, studied the twelve gemstones of Aaron’s Breastplate, and compiled the first list of Birthstones based on his findings. 

Now, because this research was complied in the early centuries when the stones were still of significant names to those times, these mentioned names are probably the most reliable. So don’t fret, we are not “worshiping” these stones. That ended with the New Testament remember so as long as we use these stones as an interest and study of historical purposes and don’t get to caught up on semantics and take away from what is Gods intentions are in our life, that is what matters to God. 

Exodus 28:30, “Also put the Urim and the Thummin in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.”

Interestingly in regards to the Urim and Thummim what were they? Well we may have to wait to find that out but.........

Here’s probably the best word on the Urim and Thummim. It’s a couple of paragraphs from Dr. Bruce Waltke’s excellent book (which I highly recommend), entitled, “Finding the Will of God” (pp. 62-64):

“The priest could use the Urim and Thummin to determine God’s will in a particular situation. We are not exactly sure what the urim and thummin were, but the priest carried in his breastplate perhaps two sticks or stones, one white and the other black, that would give a yes or no answer to a specific question. Should Israel be preparing for battle, they would somehow shake or toss the sticks. If they turned up black the Israelites would not go to battle, and if they turned up white they would proceed into battle with the knowledge that they were in the will of God. That is one form of divination that God allowed in the Old Testament.

Some translate the words Urim and Thummin to mean “curse” and “blessing,” others simply “dark” and “light,” although the literal translation seems to be “light” and “perfections.” There is no proof that there were only two items; some early rabbis believed that the Urim and Thummin were a series of stones with Hebraic characters on them by which the Lord could spell out a message for the high priest. However, most scholars believe them to be two sticks or stones, perhaps precious stones, that God used in a miraculous way to reveal His will. They were used for national decisions like going to war, and for priestly matters”

The Old Testament seems to indicate that the Urim and Thummin faded from use during the early days of Israel’s monarchy, and are only referred to once after the Babylonian exile. 

Nevertheless, we still find Ezra using this device to determine the ancestry of the priests who returned from the exile in Ezra 2:63. After this the Bible never mentions the Urim and Thummin again. God did not preserve it for His people. They are one more allowance from God to assist His people at a certain point in history.” Once the New Testament came into “life” the need for these things were no longer needed as the Will of God came through his Son and his teachings.

Now lastly in regards to what we know to be our Months “Birthstones” In the 5th Century, another Biblical scholar, St Jerome, posited a different idea – that the twelve gemstones of Revelation could be used to represent each month, giving a slightly different list of possible birthstones. However, it was not until as late as perhaps the 17th century that it was suggested that you should wear the gemstone attributed to your birth month year round. Up until that point, you would try and own all twelve and change them every month.

But nobody could agree on what the twelve gems should be. Different lists were used, as there was no consensus on what the gems mentioned in the Bible actually were, and different countries had different traditions. Clearly, this was confusing. So in 1912, the American National Jewelers’ Association compiled a new birthstone list. A few amendments later, including the addition of Tanzanite in 2002, and Spinel in 2016, and we have the list we use today, which has been skewed from the biblical original message and meaning and really has no significance in the Kingdom of God. 

Do you want to learn more, click on this link.

https://bible.org/question/how-did-urim-and-thummim-function

Yes, I am a Christian and I have loved stones since childhood. I have always been conflicted and uncomfortable with dispensing information on stones which excludes God. Stones are important to him or they wouldn't have made it in a 2000 year old document. In addition each of Jesus’s disciples are given a Stone in the New Jeruselum❣️Read the list in Revelation Chapter 21: Verses 19 to 20 

I hope you enjoy learning about the Kingdom as much as I did learning and making them.

Warm regards Sharon                               C042020/

C