Bible Strands
Exodus 28:17
And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God directs Moses to construct the high priest's breastplate by mounting a specific arrangement of gemstones into the folded linen square. The command isolates the exact placement and materials for the first row before detailing the remaining three.
The words — מִלֻּ֣אַת (mi.Lu.'at) literally means "a setting" or "filling," and אֹ֤דֶם ('O.dem) translates directly to "ruby." These terms specify the physical act of inlaying the stones into the breastplate's framework.
The thread — The identical instruction appears in Exodus 39:10 when the artisans execute the command. The same stone names function as metaphors for beauty and value in Ezekiel 28:13 and Proverbs 8:11.
Why it lands — The text explicitly dictates the exact count, arrangement, and identity of the stones without variation. It requires the reader to accept that sacred service demands precise compliance with revealed specifications rather than subjective adaptation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Cross-references
- Exodus 39:10 And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones: The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
- Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation.
- Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.
- Revelation 21:19 The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
- Exodus 28:9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel:
- Exodus 28:11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings.
- Job 28:18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
- Proverbs 3:15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.
- Proverbs 20:15 There is an abundance of gold and rubies, but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.
- Proverbs 31:10 A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.