Each Tribe kept a particular
stone in their High Priest's
breastplate. Each stone had a unique color and symbolic meaning.
Tribe -------------- Gemstone -/- Color -/- Meaning
- Judah ------ ruby -/- bright red -/- lion, leader
- Issachar -- onyx -/- off-white -/- donkey
- Zebulun --- sapphire -/- sky-blue -/- sea, sailor
- Reuben ---- carnelian -/- blood-red -/- cursed
- Simeon ---- modern chrysolite -/- blue-green -/- division from Justice
- Gad --------- quartz, chalcedony, carnelian, jasper -/- several colors -/- raiding band
- Joseph1 --- beryl -/- leek green -/- fruitful bough
- Benjamin -- diamond -/- clear -/- wolf, spoils
- Dan --------- ligurius -/- transparent orange, reddish brown, pale red -/- judge
- Asher ------- amethyst -/- violet -/- royalty
- Naphtali ---- ancient chrysolite -/- brilliant gold -/- doe
- Levi --------- emerald -/- brilliant green -/- priest
1 The Joseph tribe includes
Ephraim and
Manasseh from the list in the previous node. This list includes Levi, which is not in the previous node.