Exodus 28:18 — Word Study
WLCוְהַטּ֖וּר הַשֵּׁנִ֑י נֹ֥פֶךְ סַפִּ֖יר וְיָהֲלֹֽם׃
BSAin the secondshênîy rowṭûwr [of precious stones] a turquoisenôphek [or emerald, green gemstone] a sapphireçappîyr [blue gemstone] and a diamondyahălôm [or jasper, very hard stone]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְהַטּ֖וּר | and the row | Conjunction, particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| הַשֵּׁנִ֑י | second | Particle |
| נֹ֥פֶךְ | [will be] a turquoise | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| סַפִּ֖יר | a sapphire | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וְיָהֲלֹֽם׃ | and an emerald | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; |
| KJV | And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. |
| ASV | and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; |
| YLT | and the second row [is] emerald, sapphire, and diamond; |
| WEB | and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; |
| BBE | The second, a ruby, a sapphire, and an onyx; |
Where they part company is נֹפֶךְ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence outlines the arrangement of the gemstones in a straightforward manner, with the main clause introducing the row followed by the specific stones listed.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Exodus 28:18
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Instructions for the High Priest's Garmentsgenerated
Exodus 28:18 is part of God's detailed instructions to Moses regarding the garments of the high priest. The breastplate, adorned with twelve precious stones, represents the twelve tribes of Israel and serves as a reminder of the people before God. Each stone has its own significance and beauty, contributing to the overall splendor of the high priest's attire, as seen in the context of the entire chapter.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 39:11 | the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; |
| 2 | Ezekiel 27:16 | Aram was your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares. |
| 3 | Exodus 24:10 | and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. |
| 4 | Job 28:6–16 | Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold. |
| 5 | Song of Solomon 5:14 |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נֹפֶךְ, No.fekhgenerated
The word נֹפֶךְ (nophek) refers to a precious stone, likely an emerald, that is mentioned in the context of the high priest's breastplate. It is derived from an unused root, suggesting brightness or shining, and is associated with trade in Tyre, indicating its value and rarity.
In this verse, נֹפֶךְ is listed among other gemstones, highlighting its importance in the ceremonial attire of the high priest. The parsing as a noun in the singular form indicates it is one of the specific stones being described.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is introduced by the conjunction וְ (and), leading into the noun phrase that describes the subject: הַטּ֖וּר (the row). This is followed by the numeral phrase הַשֵּׁנִ֑י (the second), which specifies the position of the row.
The structure emphasizes the arrangement of the gemstones, with the noun phrases detailing the specific stones in the second row: נֹפֶךְ (turquoise), סַפִּ֖יר (sapphire), and וְיָהֲלֹֽם (and a diamond).
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נֹפֶךְ as ἄνθραχ (anthrax), which suggests a narrowing of the meaning to a specific type of precious stone, possibly indicating a different cultural understanding of the gemstone's significance.
The choice of στίξος for טוּר (tur) also reflects a specific arrangement, aligning with the concept of rows or courses in the context of the high priest's garments.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 28:18 describes the second row of gemstones on the high priest's breastplate, which includes a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond. Each stone holds significance and represents the beauty and value of the high priest's garments.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The gemstones represent the twelve tribes of Israel, with each stone symbolizing a specific tribe and serving as a reminder of the people before God.
The arrangement signifies order and beauty, reflecting the holiness and significance of the high priest's role in mediating between God and the people.
Each stone is chosen for its beauty and value, contributing to the overall splendor of the high priest's attire, which is meant to honor God.
Translations differ primarily in the rendering of נֹפֶךְ, with some choosing turquoise while others opt for emerald, indicating varying interpretations of the original Hebrew.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What significance do you think the gemstones had for the people of Israel?
- How does the arrangement of the stones reflect the orderliness of God's design?
- In what ways can we see beauty and value in the details of our own lives?
- How can understanding the significance of these stones deepen our appreciation for the high priest's role?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 28:18 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
Read John Gill on Exodus 28 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 28 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers2. THE .(13-30) The space devoted to the “breastplate” is indicative of its high importance. It was the most costly, most magnificent, and most conspicuous of the high priest’s garments, while at the same time it was the most mysterious. Externally it was a blaze of gold and jewels; internally it held those strange and precious objects known as “the Urim and the Thummim” (Exodus 28:30), by means of which the Divine will was made known to the high priest, and through him to the people. The basis of the garment was a linen fabric of similar materials and workmanship with the ephod (Exodus 28:15), square in shape, about nine inches each way, and “doubled,” so as to form internally a bag or…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 28 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges18. an emerald] Heb. nτphek, ἄνθραξ, carbunculus [a red stone, called ἄνθραξ and carbunculus because in the sun-light it flashes like a burning ‘coal,’ Theophr. de Lap. 18]: Ezekiel 27:16; Ezekiel 28:13. As is generally agreed, the red garnet, a species of carbuncle. a sapphire] Heb. sappir, σάπφειρος, sapphirus: Exodus 24:10, Ezekiel 1:26; Ezekiel 10:1; Ezekiel 28:13, Job 28:6; Job 28:16, Son 5:14, Isaiah 54:11, Lamentations 4:7, Revelation 21:19. Not, however, our ‘sapphire,’ which was ‘almost unknown before Roman imperial times,’ but the opaque blue lapis lazuli (so Revelation 21:19 RVm.), as is shewn by the description of the Greek and Roman ‘sapphire’ by Theophrastus and Pliny as…
Read Cambridge on Exodus 28 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
Tyndale line
And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
And in the seconde rowe thou shalt set an emeraude, a saphir, and a diamonde.
Strictly literal
and the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond;
and the second row [is] emerald, sapphire, and diamond;
and the second row [is] emerald, sapphire, and diamond;
And the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond.
The second row must have an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
From the Latin
In the second a carbuncle, a sapphire and a jasper.
Simplified
In the second row turquoise, lapis lazuli, and sardonyx.
The second, a ruby, a sapphire, and an onyx;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the majority of the wording in this verse. However, the Samaritan Pentateuch differs by using the word יחלם instead of וְיָהֲלֹֽם, which suggests a different gemstone, indicating variation in the understanding of the text.
וְהַטּ֖וּר הַשֵּׁנִ֑י נֹ֥פֶךְ סַפִּ֖יר וְיָהֲלֹֽם׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
והטור השׁני נפך ספיר ויחלם
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: יחלם (dream)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Exodus 28:18
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
טוּר (tuhr) refers to a 'row' or 'course,' specifically in contexts like building stones in the temple or jewels on the high priest's breast-piece, as noted in Exodus 28:17. It is derived from an unused root meaning to arrange in a regular manner.
טוּר n.m. Ex 28:17 row
row, course of building-stones, in temple and in Solomon’s house
row of jewels, on high priest’s breast-piece
base
H2905 טוּר n.m. Ex 28:17 row . row, course of building-stones, in temple and in Solomon’s house
. row of jewels, on high priest’s breast-piece
2905 tuwr toor
from an unused root meaning to range in a regular manner; a
row; hence, a wall:--row.
טוּר (tur) — row.
1) row
1a) row, course (of building)
1b) row (of jewels)
Conj | Art | N-ms — Conjunction · particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Td/Ncmsa
שֵׁנִי (sheniy) means 'second' and can also imply 'again' or 'another.' It is an ordinal number used to denote position or sequence, as well as to indicate repetition. The word is derived from a root meaning 'double' and appears in various contexts in the Old Testament.
שֵׁנִי m. שֵׁנִית f. 157 adj.num.ord. second
base
H8145 שֵׁנִי m. שֵׁנִית f. adj. num. ord. second
8145 sheniy shay-nee'
from 8138; properly, double, i.e. second; also adverbially,
again:--again, either (of them), (an-)other, second (time).
see HEBREW for 08138
שֵׁנִי (she.ni) — second.
1) second
1a) second (the ordinal number)
1b) again (a second time)
1c) another, other (something as distinct from something else)
Art | Adj — ParticleHTd/Aomsa
נֹ֫פֶךְ (nophek) refers to a precious stone, likely an emerald, mentioned in the context of trade in Tyre (Ezekiel 27:16) and as part of the high priest's breastplate (Exodus 28:18, 39:11). It may also be associated with other gems like ruby or carbuncle. The entries suggest a connection to brightness or shining, stemming from an unused root.
נֹ֫פֶךְ n.[m.] a precious stone which Tyre gained by trade Ez 27:16 (where נ׳ doubted by Berthol, queried by Toy Hpt), cf 28:13 (symbol. of wealth and honour of king of Tyre); in high priest’s breast-piece Ex 28:18 39:11. Perh. = ruby or carbuncle 𝔊 Joseph. ἄνθραξ, 𝔙 carbunculus, cf. Di Ex, Kau Ex, Sgfr Ezek, Co Berthol; 𝔗 AV emerald.
done
H5306 נֹ֫פֶךְ n.[m.] a precious stone which Tyre gained by trade Ez 27:16 (where נ׳ doubted by Berthol, queried by Toy Hpt), cf 28:13 (symbol. of wealth and honour of king of Tyre); in high priest’s breast-piece Ex 28:18 39:11. Perh. = ruby or carbuncle 𝔊 Joseph. ἄνθραξ, 𝔙 carbunculus, cf. Di Ex, Kau Ex, Sgfr Ezek, Co Berthol; 𝔗 AV emerald.
5306 nophek no'-fek
from an unused root meaning to glisten; shining; a gem,
probably the garnet:--emerald.
נֹ֫פֶךְ (no.phekh) — emerald.
1) a precious stone in the high priest's breastplate
1a) perhaps an emerald, turquoise, ruby, or carbuncle
2) jewels imported from Tyre
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
סַפִּיר (sappir) refers to sapphire, and possibly lapis lazuli. It is identified as a gem, potentially used for scratching other materials. The word is derived from a root meaning to scratch, and it is noted in various lexicons for its association with these precious stones.
סַפִּיר n.[m.] sapphire, perh. also lapis lazuli
base
H5601 סַפִּיר sapphire, perh. also lapis lazuli
5601 cappiyr sap-peer'
from 5608; a gem (perhaps used for scratching other
substances), probably the sapphire:--sapphire.
see HEBREW for 05608
סַפִּיר (sap.pir) — sapphire.
sapphire, lapis lazuli
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
saf'-ir.
See STONES, PRECIOUS.
Sapphire
Associated with diamonds (Ex. 28:18) and emeralds (Ezek. 28:13); one of the stones in the high priest’s breastplate. It is a precious stone of a sky-blue colour, probably the lapis lazuli, brought from Babylon. The throne of God is described as of the colour of a sapphire (Ex. 24:10; comp. Ezek. 1:26).
(Heb. sappir), a precious stone, apparently of a bright-blue color, set: (Exodus 24:10) the second stone in the second row of the high priest’s breastplate, (Exodus 28:18) extremely precious, (Job 28:16) it was one of the precious stones that ornamented the king of Tyre. (Ezekiel 28:13) The sapphire of the ancients was not our gem of that name, viz. the azure or indigo-blue, crystalline variety of corundum, but our lapis lazuli (ultra-marine).
A gem next in hardness and value to the diamond, and comprising, as varieties, all those precious stones known by the name of oriental gems, namely, the oriental ruby, oriental topaz, and oriental emerald, Joh 21:25. In general the name of sapphire is given to the blue variety, which is either of deep indigo blue, or of various lighter tints, Ex 24:10, and sometimes gradually passes into perfectly white or colorless, which, when cut, may also pass for a diamond, Ex 28:18; 39:11; Re 21:19.
יַהֲלֹם (yahalom) refers to a precious stone, possibly jasper or onyx, noted for its hardness. The term appears in lists of precious stones in Exodus 28:18, Exodus 39:11, and Ezekiel 28:13. The lexicons suggest it may derive from a root meaning to smite or hammer, indicating its toughness.
3095 yahalom yah-hal-ome'
from 1986 (in the sense of hardness); a precious stone,
probably onyx:--diamond.
see HEBREW for 01986
יַהֲלֹם (ya.ha.lom) — jasper.
1) a precious stone (known for its hardness)
1a) perhaps the jasper, onyx, or diamond
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
em'-er-ald.
See STONES, PRECIOUS.
Emerald
Heb. nophek (Ex. 28:18; 39:11); i.e., the “glowing stone”, probably the carbuncle, a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest. It is mentioned (Rev. 21:19) as one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem. The name given to this stone in the New Testament Greek is smaragdos, which means “live coal.”
a precious stone of a rich green color, upon which its value chiefly depends. This gem was the first in the second row on the breastplate of the high priest. (Exodus 28:18; 39:11) It was imported to Tyre from Syria, (Ezekiel 27:16) was used as a seal or signet, Ecclus. 32:6, as an ornament of clothing and bedding, (Ezekiel 28:13; Judges 10:21) and is spoken of as one of the foundations of Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:19) Tob. 13:16. The rainbow around the throne is compared to emerald in (Revelation 4:3)