Hebrew word · H5306

נֹ֫פֶךְ

nofekh

emerald

The name of a precious stone. It appears only four times: Exodus 28:18 and 39:11 (the breastpiece), Ezekiel 27:16 (traded at Tyre's markets by Aram, or Edom in some manuscripts) and Ezekiel 28:13 (one of the stones covering the king of Tyre 'in Eden'). Its mineral identity is unknown.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) a precious stone in the high priest's breastplate

1a) perhaps an emerald, turquoise, ruby, or carbuncle

2) jewels imported from Tyre

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Exodus 39:11

Range of meaning

The name of a precious stone. It appears only four times: Exodus 28:18 and 39:11 (the breastpiece), Ezekiel 27:16 (traded at Tyre's markets by Aram, or Edom in some manuscripts) and Ezekiel 28:13 (one of the stones covering the king of Tyre 'in Eden'). Its mineral identity is unknown. BDB calls it a precious stone, perhaps a carbuncle. Some lexicons, HALOT among them, mention a proposed link with Egyptian mfkꜣt, 'turquoise'.

Against the English

KJV, YLT and ESV say 'emerald'. BSB, WEB and NASB say 'turquoise'. NIV and NLT also say 'turquoise'. None of these is certain. 'Emerald' comes from older tradition rather than evidence, and 'turquoise' depends on a debated etymology.

How it drifted

Translators needed a familiar gem name, so a stone of uncertain identity was given a definite modern label. Readers then picture a specific modern gem with a confidence the Hebrew does not support.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint (the Greek translation made in Egypt in the 3rd–2nd century BC) renders it anthrax, literally 'live coal', a glowing red stone such as garnet or ruby-coloured stones in general. The Vulgate follows with carbunculus, and Josephus (Antiquities 3.168) also lists a 'carbuncle' in the second row. On the other side, turquoise (mfkꜣt) was mined by Egyptians at Serabit el-Khadim in Sinai, which fits the Exodus setting. Whether the sounds of mfkꜣt and nofekh really match is disputed.

Where it appears

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 28:18 נֹ֥פֶךְ [will be] a turquoise

    in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

  2. Exodus 39:11 נֹ֥פֶךְ [was] a turquoise

    the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

    Here: The first stone of the row. Nobody knows for certain which stone it was. The Greek translation and the Latin Vulgate understood a glowing red stone ('carbuncle', perhaps a garnet). Many modern versions say 'turquoise' because of a proposed link with an Egyptian word for turquoise. Older English versions say 'emerald'.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 27:16 בְּ֠נֹפֶךְ for turquoise

    Aram was your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.

  2. Ezekiel 28:13 נֹ֔פֶךְ turquoise

    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.

    Here: A gem Tyre bought from Aram (Ezek 27:16). Identified variously as turquoise, malachite or garnet; uncertain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.