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| Holy Bible |
The Bible or the Holy Bible combines specifically religious scripts for Christianity and Judaism faith. It is a book known to almost every believer since it contains essential information concerning Life, man, and God.
However, the Bible talks about Israelites as the people who directly descended from any of the sons of patriarch Jacob, who was later called Jacob.
The Holy Book clearly describes how God chose Isreal to be His dearly loved nation. Jacob, whom the Israelites descended from, had 12 male sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Naphtali, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin.
These 12 sons formed the basis of the 12 Isreal tribes, which symbolize perfection and God's authority. Jacob later built an altar that consisted of 12 pillars that represented these 12 tribes, as (Exodus24:4) narrates it.
As evident as it is that Israelites held a remarkable position in God's heart, it made them outstanding. Furthermore, the Israel people were also represented by 12 gems as the Tanakh Bible says, this article will be stating them down as follows:
I. Carnelian
II. Chrysolite
III. Emerald
IV. Turquoise
V. Sapphire
VI. Amethyst
VII. Jacinth
VIII. Agate
IX. Crystal
X. Beryl
XI. Lapis lazuli
XII. Jasper
I must state it clearly that the ancient's way of identifying gems was very different from how we identify them today.
It was so because the ancient people relied on physical appearance and color. In contrast, we depend on various factors such as chemical composition, advanced technology that immensely simplifies the work, and many more.
Therefore, a gem can have a different name on the original Breastplate of Aaron's ancient writings and another in today's writings or identifications.
For example, it is quite possible that the sapphire in biblical times was what we know today as Lapis lazuli. There have been difficulties correlating the tribal stones with the ones on the new Jerusalem.
Carnelian
Carnelian was a stone that represented the tribe, Reuben, during the middle east and Mediterranean biblical times. It's possible to be a ruby stone today.
The standard and inexpensive stone of the carnelian is chalcedony.
The stone has got various colors such as orange, red and brown. Carnelian stone costs around $9- $16.
Chrysolite
Chrysolite stone stood for a tribe known as Simeon, and it could be the present-day topaz. Chrysolite, also known as peridot, refers to any gemstone derived from olivine family gems.
It comes in beautiful colors, such as greenish to yellowish. It costs around $3000+; chrysolite is also the third-hardest common stone with a rating of 8.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Emerald
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| Emerald stone |
Emeralds are a variety of minerals beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6). They occur in colors like green and slightly bluish. The stone represented a tribe Levi, which is described today as a carbuncle stone.
Their price is anywhere from $200 to $18,000 per carat. Emerald's green color symbolizes fidelity and true love, making the stone recommendable for wedding rings.
Turquoise
This stone represented a tribe of Judah; it is identified as emerald. The stone has terrific colors of blue to green. The turquoise stone is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum that occurs in blue and green colors.
Its chemical structure is CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O, with a price of $0.05 to $1000 depending on its quality.
It has been considered a lucky stone for centuries since it is believed to strengthen one's connection to intuition.
Sapphire
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Sapphire earrings |
Sapphire symbolized a tribe of Dan during ancient times, and it is categorized as Lapis lazuli today. Sapphire stone is typically blue, but it can sometimes occur in purple, orange, yellow, and green.
Sapphire stones are costly, depending on the quality they come in. A carat of sapphires is approximately $25 to $11,000. It has a hardness of 9.0 hardness on the Mohs scale.
It is believed to help focus and calm the mind and body. The stone is suitable for anyone experiencing depression and anxiety.
Amethyst
Amethyst stone represents a tribe known as Naphtali in the Bible. It is recognized as the diamond today. The stone comes from various quartz, purple, violet, and dark purple.
Amethyst is believed to be a protective stone with many befits such as the natural tranquilizer, soothing irritability, dispelling anger, balancing mood swings, etc.
Its price is around $20 to $30 per carat, depending on the stone's quality.
Jacinth
Gad tribe was represented by a jacinth stone identified as opal or ligure today. The stone is a variety of zircon, with colors such as yellow-red to red-brown. Jacinth has a Hebrew name Leshem and a female named Hyacinth.
Agate
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| Agate crystal |
The agate stone represented a tribe of Asher. Agate primarily consists of chalcedony and quartz as its components. Its price ranges from $10 to $3000, depending on its quality.
Agate stone has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, and its chemical composition is SiO2 with a kind of luster. It comes in green, black, blue, and many other agate stone colors.
Agate stone enhances mental functionality since it's a calming and soothing crystal.
It is identified today as amethyst, and it represents the Issachar. As mentioned earlier, Issachar's representative stone could have been identified as amethyst today.
Beryl
Beryl which represented a tribe of Zebulun, is presently identified as chrysolite. Beryl has a chemical formula of Be3Al2Si6O18, which consists of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate.
In ancient Mesopotamia, the beryl stone was believed to be a powerful stone associated with strengthening one's belief in gods.
It was formally used as a healing stone that healed bladder ailments and removed kidney stones. Today, the Beryl stone price costs around $10.54 to $295.15 per carat, with red beryl being the most expensive of the beryl stone family.
Lapis lazuli
This stone represented a tribe of Joseph, and it's identified as onyx in today's groupings. Lapis lazuli stone is deep blue with a greasy and vitreous luster.
Lapis lazuli was significantly powdered and worn about the eyes for eyesight improvement in ancient Egypt. Its chemical structure is (Na,Ca)8(AlSiO4)6(S,SO4,Cl)1-2, with the spiritual meaning of royalty, courageousness, and wisdom. The stone is known for warding off evil.
Lapis lazuli stone is the most expensive stone, but it is not the cheapest one, ranging from $100-150 per carat. Of course, that depends on the quality of the stone.
Jasper
The jasper stone symbolized a tribe of Benjamin. Jasper stone benefits are as follows: the stone supports one through tough times, bringing tranquility and wholeness.
The stone is also known for providing protection and absorbing negative energy. It is naturally composed of microgranular quartz or chalcedony and many other mineral phases.
Blue jasper stone is the rarest of them all, generally with a price of $2-5 per carat.
Where did the 12 Israel tribes come from?
According to the Bible, the 12 Israel tribes came into existence through Leah and Rachel, who were the wives to Patriarch Jaco (Israel), together with Bilhah and Zilpah, his mistress, and Jacob's 12 sons.
More straightforwardly, this group of 17 people led to the formation of the Israel nation.
Judaism history narrates how a tribe in the ancient days spoke a lot about someone. Anyone could tell your family status, opportunities, or even blessing by knowing your tribe.
However, as the world changes, many things are forgotten, many cultures and traditions become myths, and history gets manipulated.
With this, I mean some people today find the story of the 12 tribes of Israel to be a myth.
Biblical Perspective
On the report of the Bible, Jacob was chosen to be the patriarch of the Israel Nation by God.
He was the second-born son to Isaac and Rehema, and his parents also had another child known as Esau, who happened to be Jacob's twin brother.
Jacob's grandparents were the father of all nations. Abraham and his wife, Rebecca.
It is written that Jacob had 13 kids from his two sister-wives Leah and Rachel, the other two concubines known as Bilhah and Zilpah.
History says the 12 sons symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. It further states that were misunderstandings between these 12 tribes because Jacob often favored his two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, whom he had from his favorite wife, Rachel.
That was so because Reuben lost his birthright due to his misdemeanor with Bilhah; therefore, Joseph had to receive double blessings.
For this matter, equality among these tribes wasn't equal.
Perhaps, this is a sign that deeply routes in today's societies where hate, racism, tribalism is the order of the day. Nothing seems new at all.
Joseph's tribe was later split into tribes since his blessings were 2x his other brothers' blessings.
The two tribes formed as a split of Jacob's tribe were named after Ephraim and Manasseh's two sons.
Jacob's only daughter, Dinah, also had her tribe, but her descendants were not acknowledged as a separate tribe.
Land Allocation
While in exile in the 6th century BCE, prophet Ezekiel had a vision of how Israel would be restored and the Israelites would live in their land again.
The land was shared among the twelve tribes consecutively; however, the Bible doesn't narrate how it was done (Joshua 13-19).
For instance, the Tribe of Levi allocated six cities of refuge and a Temple of Jerusalem but had no rightfully given land.
Christianity Perspective
Luke (22:30) and Mathew (19:28) narrates that the 12 tribes will represent the 12 thrones where Jesus's disciples will sit and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
Revelation also narrates that there are 12 gates guarded by 12 angels in the Kingdom of God.
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