What is a sardius stone

We are now at the half way point, working on the sixth foundation stone, with six more to go. Foundation six has a little identity crisis. It is called Sardius in the KJV and NKJV and called Carnelian in the NLT and NIV. The Sardius from the Breastplate (Exodus 28:17) in the KJV is translated as Ruby in the NIV. So which is it - the Sardius, the Carnelian or the Ruby? I would say it could be any or all of the three!

In the Old Testament, when referencing the first stone in the Breastplate of the High Priest, the Hebrew word used is "odem" which means a precious stone; a Ruby or Carnelian. It is derived from "adom" which means to be or look red. The New Testament Greek word is "sardion" or "sardinos" - a precious stone, the Carnelian or Sard. In ancient times the Sardius stone was obtained from Sardis in Asia Minor (Sardis was also the location of one of the prophetic Seven Churches of Revelation).

The Sardius is the red band found in the Sardonyx - a red Carnelian or Sard. It is a brownish-red mineral variety of Chalcedony (Silicon Quartz - SiO2) colored by impurities of Iron Oxide. A Ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral Corundum (same as a Sapphire - Aluminum Oxide - Al2O3). The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. The Ruby has a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, with diamond having a Mohs hardness of 10.0.

The Sardius Stone occupied the first place on the High Priest’s Ephod. It represents Reuben by birth order and Judah by camp order. Inscribed upon the Sardius Stone was the name Judah which means Praise of Jehovah and denotes the expression of praise. The Sardius signifies the apostle Bartholomew, or Nathaniel, who Jesus immediately characterized as "Now here is a genuine son of Israel — a man of complete integrity." (John 1:47 - NLT).

The Red color of the Sardius Stone
Represents the Shed Blood of Jesus

This stone signifies the Scepter of God and the Power and Glory of God that comes forth in His purified people. It is God in His company of Saints. Those who walk in the Spirit and Power of Elohim without measure. It embodies the glory of God in judgment. All three stones, and in particular the Ruby, can be blood red and speak of the sacrifice of blood, pointing to the cross and Jesus shedding His blood for the remission of our sins.

Isaiah 5:16 (KJV) - But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

John 1:29b (NIV) - "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

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like a jasper
Jasper describes the light of, foundation, and walls of the holy Jerusalem (Rev. Rev. 21:11+, Rev. 21:18-20+). It was the last of the twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel which were mounted in the breastplate of the high priest (Ex. Ex. 28:20; Ex. 39:13). When Satan was in the Garden of God, his covering included precious stones like jasper (Eze. Eze. 28:13-14). “Modern ignorance of ancient terminology makes precise identification of the stones quite tentative (Morris). Probably the equation of iaspidi (‘jasper stone’) to the modern jasper which is dull and opaque (Alford) is wrong because the modern stone is hardly considered costly as the text implies.”1 “From Rev. Rev. 21:11+, where it is called most precious, which the jasper was not, Ebrard infers it was a diamond.”2

2 A. R. Fausset, “The Revelation of St. John the Divine,” in Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, 1877), Rev. 4:2.

3 Donald Grey Barnhouse, Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971), 90.

4 John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1966), 104.

5 Alan F. Johnson, Revelation: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1966), Rev. 4:3.

6 Fausset, “The Revelation of St. John the Divine,” Rev. 4:3.

7 Thomas, Revelation 1-7, 343.

8 Mounce observes: Ex. 28:17-21 lists the twelve stones, each inscribed and representing a tribe in Israel. Note that the jasper and the carnelian (sardius) are the last and the first (Benjamin and Reuben; cf. Gen. Gen. 49:3-27). On this basis the emerald (no. 4) would stand for the tribe of Judah.”—Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977), 134. But in the list of stones given by Exodus Ex. 28:17, the emerald is listed as the third stone—the last in the first row of three—and would represent the tribe of Levi, not Judah.

also known as: sardius, sardius stone, sardion, sard, odem and carnelian

Greek: σάρδιον —transliteration: sardion

Hebrew: אֹדֶם —transliteration: odem

This is a gem of a blood-red color. It is our red carnelian.

The Greek word sardion appears only 2 times in Scripture.

He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. —Revelation 4:3 NKJV

The foundations of the wall of the city [New Jerusalem] were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, … the sixth sardius… —Revelation 21:19-20 excerpt

It was called “sardius” or “Sardine” because it was obtained from Sardis in Lydia.

This gem is also listed among the precious stones in the high priest's breastplate (Exodus 28:17; 39:10).

The only other reference is written by Ezekiel.

Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. —Ezekiel 28:13 NKJV

ALSO SEE

Article Version: September 10, 2019