Amethyst

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

(ἀμέθυστος,  Revelation 21:20)

A variety of quartz of rock-crystal, of purple or bluish violet colour. Derived from ἀ, ‘not,’ and μεθύσκειν, ‘to intoxicate,’ it was regarded as a charm against the effects of wine. Quaffed from a cup of amethyst, or by a reveller wearing an amulet of that substance, the vine-juice could not intoxicate. This was doubtless a case of sympathetic magic, wine being amethystine in colour. In the Septuagint( Exodus 28:19, etc.) ‘amethyst’ stands for aḥlâmâh , a stone which was regarded as a charm against bad dreams. The amethyst was used as a gem-stone by the ancient Egyptians, and largely employed in classical antiquity for intaglios. Naturally it was often engraved with Bacchanalian subjects. Being comparatively abundant, it is inferior in price to true gems, and is not to be confounded with the oriental amethyst , a variety of corundum, or sapphire of amethystine tint, which is a very valuable gem of great brilliancy and beauty.

James Strahan.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ἀμέθυστος (Strong'S #271 — Noun Feminine — amethustos — am-eth'-oos_tos )

primarily meaning "not drunken" (a, negative, and methu, "wine"), became used as a noun, being regarded as possessing a remedial virtue against drunkenness. Pliny, however, says that the reason for its name lay in the fact that in color it nearly approached that of wine, but did not actually do so,  Revelation 21:20 .

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

אחלמה ,  Exodus 28:19; and  Exodus 29:12; and once in the New Testament,  Revelation 21:20 , αμεθυστος .

A transparent gem, of a colour which seems composed of a strong blue and deep red; and, according as either prevails, affords different tinges of purple, sometimes approaching to violet, and sometimes even fading to a rose colour. The stone called amethyst by the ancients was evidently the same with that now generally known by this name; which is far from being the case with regard to some other gems. The oriental is the hardest, scarcest, and most valuable. It was the ninth stone in the pectoral of the high priest, and is mentioned as the twelfth in the foundations of the New Jerusalem.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

A precious stone in the third row of the breastplate of the high priest,  Exodus 28:19;  Exodus 39:12; and the twelfth stone in the foundations of the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem.  Revelation 21:20 . This gem is not definitely identified. It may be the purple variety of corundum, known as the oriental amethyst, or the transparent amethystine quartz which contains oxide of manganese and alumina. The Hebrew word is achlamah which is translated ἀμέθυστος in the above two passages in Exodus by the LXX, who also have the same in   Ezekiel 28:13 , where there is nothing in the Hebrew.

King James Dictionary

AM'ETHYST, n. L. amethystus Gr. which the Greeks supposed to be formed from a neg. and to inebriate, from some supposed quality in the stone of resisting intoxication. Plin. 37.9, mentions an opinion that it takes its name from its color approaching that of wine, but not reaching it.

A sub-species of quartz, of a violet blue color, of different degrees of intensity. It generally occurs crystallized in hexahedral prisms or pyramids also in rolled fragments, composed of imperfect prismatic crystals. Its fracture is conchoidal or splintery. It is wrought into various articles of jewelry.

AM'ETHYST, in heraldry, signifies a purple color. It is the same, in a nobelman's escutcheon, as purpure, in a gentleman's and mercury, in that of a prince.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Amethyst. One of the precious stones in the high priest's sacred breast-plate.  Exodus 28:19;  Exodus 39:12. The oriental amethyst is a gem of great hardness and lustre, violet, and occasionally red; the occidental amethyst is a variety of quartz, of much beauty, but not difficult to cut. This stone had its Hebrew name, Ahlâmah, from its supposed property of inducing dreams. Its Greek name, from which the English word comes, implied that it was a charm against drunkenness. The amethyst is mentioned as one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem.  Revelation 21:20.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Hebrew root, "dream"; supposed to cause dreams to those who wore it. Greek, "protecting against drunkenness" Pliny says, because it approaches the color of wine without reaching it. The third jewel in the third row of the breast-plate of judgment. The twelfth of the precious foundation stones of the heavenly Jerusalem's walls ( Revelation 21:20). A violet, or in the East a deep red, quartz; the eastern is a rare variety of the adamantine spar or corundum; the hardest substance next to the diamond, containing 90 per cent. alumine, with iron and silica. It loses color in the fire, and becomes like a diamond.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Amethyst. (Hebrew, achlamah ). A subspecies of quartz of a bluish-violet color. Mention is made of this precious stone, which formed the third in the third row of the high priestly breastplate, in  Exodus 28:19;  Exodus 39:12. It occurs also in  Revelation 21:20.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A precious stone of a violet blue color, verging towards a bluish or reddish white. It is seldom uniform in color, and is generally cloudy and spotted with zigzag stripes. The most beautiful specimens come from Ceylon, the East Indies, Siberia, and Saxony. It is very highly prized,  Exodus 28:19;  Revelation 21:20 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Exodus 28:19 39:12 Revelation 21:20 A_, "privative," and _methuo Ahlamah' Halam

It is a pale-blue crystallized quartz, varying to a dark purple blue. It is found in Persia and India, also in different parts of Europe.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): A purple color in a nobleman's escutcheon, or coat of arms.

(2): A variety of crystallized quartz, of a purple or bluish violet color, of different shades. It is much used as a jeweler's stone.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Exodus 28:19 (c) This beautiful stone may be a type of the royalty and the regal splendor of those who belong to GOD. (See also under "Twelve Stones" for additional meaning).

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Exodus 28:19 Exodus 39:12 Revelation 21:20

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Amethyst . See Jewels and Precious Stones.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( אחְלָמָה , Achlamah'; Sept. and N.T. Ἀμέθυστος , Vulg. Amethystus), a precious stone mentioned in Scripture as the ninth in the breastplate of the high-priest ( Exodus 28:19;  Exodus 39:12), and the twelfth in the foundations of the New Jerusalem ( Revelation 21:20). The transparent gems to which this name is applied are of a color which seems composed of a strong blue and deep red, and, according as either of these prevails, exhibit different tinges of purple, sometimes approaching to violet, and sometimes declining even to a rose color. From these differences of color the ancients distinguished five species of the amethyst; modern collections afford at least as many varieties, but they are all comprehended under two species — the Oriental amethyst and the Occidental amethyst. These names, however, are given to stones of essentially different natures, which were, no doubt, anciently confounded in the same manner. The Oriental amethyst is very scarce, and of great hardness, lustre, and beauty. It is, in fact, a rare variety of the adamantine spar, or corundum. Next to the diamond, it is the hardest substance known. It contains about 90 per cent. of alumine, a little iron, and a little silica. Of this species emery, used in cutting and polishing glass, etc., is a granular variety. To this species also belongs the sapphire, the most valuable of gems next to the diamond, and of which the Oriental amethyst is merely a violet variety. Like other sapphires, it loses its color in the fire, and comes out with so much of the lustre and color of the diamond that the most experienced jeweller may be deceived by it. The more common, or Occidental amethyst, is a variety of quartz, or rock crystal, and is found in various forms in many parts of the world, as India, Siberia, Sweden, Germany, Spain; and even in England very beautiful specimens of tolerable hardness have been discovered. This also loses its color in the fire (Penny Cyclopoedia, s.v.). Amethysts were much used by the anicients for rings and cameos and the reason given by Pliny, because they were easily cut (Hist. Nat. 37, 9), shows that the Occidental species is to be understood. The ancients believed that the amethyst possessed the power of dispelling drunkenness in those who wore or touched it (Anthol. Gr. 4, 18, Pliny, 37:9; Marbodius, De Gemmis, c. 4) and hence its Greek name ("from a privative, and Μεθύω , to get drunk," Martini, Excurs. p. 158). In like manner the rabbins derive its Jewish name (from חָלִם , To Dream), from its supposed power of procuring dreams to the wearer. (See Bruckmann, Abhandlung Von Den Edelsteinean; Hill's Theophrastus, notes; Hillier, De Gemmus In Pector. Pontif., Rosenmuller, Mineralogy Of The Bible; Braun, De Vestitu Sacerd. 2, 16; Bellarmin, Urim Und Thummim, p. 55; Moore's Anc. Mineralogy, p. 168.) (See Gem).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

The word thus translated in the common version is in Hebrew Achlamah and is the name of the precious stone mentioned in Scripture as the ninth in the breastplate of the high-priest ( Exodus 28:19;  Exodus 39:12): in the New Testament the precise word amethyst (which is Greek) designates the twelfth stone in the foundations of the New Jerusalem ( Revelation 21:20).

The transparent gems called amethysts are of a color which seems composed of a strong blue and deep red; and according as either of these prevails, exhibit different tinges of purple, sometimes approaching to violet, and sometimes declining even to a rose color. All the varieties of it are comprehended under two species, the Oriental Amethyst and the Occidental Amethyst. The Oriental amethyst is very scarce, and of great hardness, luster, and beauty. It is in fact a rare variety of the adamantine spar, or corundum. Next to the diamond, it is the hardest substance known. It contains about 90 per cent, of alumine, a little iron, and a little silica. Of this species, emery, used in cutting and polishing glass, etc. is a granular variety. To this species also belongs the sapphire, the most valuable of gems next to the diamond; and of which the Oriental amethyst is merely a violet variety. Like other sapphires, it loses its color in the fire, and comes out with so much of the luster and color of the diamond, that the most experienced jeweler may be deceived by it.

The more common, or Occidental amethyst, is a variety of quartz, or rock crystal, and is found in various forms in many parts of the world, as India, Siberia, Sweden, Germany, Spain; and even in England very beautiful specimens of tolerable hardness have been discovered. This also loses its color in the fire.

Amethysts were much used by the ancients for rings and cameos; and the reason given by Pliny—because they were easily cut—shows that the Occidental species is to be understood. The ancients believed that the amethyst possessed the power of dispelling drunkenness in those who wore or touched it, and hence its Greek name. In like manner, the Rabbins derive its Jewish name from its supposed power of procuring dreams to the wearer.