that I had lost the chance of procuring such a valuable and sensitive gem."
8. Shebo. {Authorized Version, Agate.)
The Rabbins translated this word by hyacinth.
The
hyacinth and the amethyst are somewhat alike in colour ; the latter
approaches more the tint of the violet, the former is of a paler
description, and inclines to sky-blue. There are three kinds of
hyacinths ; one has the glowing hue of a burning coal : this kind is
of the highest value.
9. Achlamah. (Authorized Version, Amethyst.) Rabbinical
authors consider Achlamah to signify onyx, and they state that it is
classified either according to colour, or according to the place whence
it is exported. In regard to colour, the onyx occurs in five varieties
: the first, which is white, resembles the human nail, for which
reason, in fact, it has received the Greek name onyx (
nail) ; this variety is not marked by any
stripes,
whilst the second kind is white striped with red, the third is white
striped with black, the fourth is all black without stripes, and the
fifth, the most valuable of all, is black with white stripes.
Mediaeval writers have sought to find a Scriptural basis for current
superstitions, by connecting " achlamah " (onyx) ; with the verb
"chalam," to dream, and assert that this
