Amber

Amber appears in English translations of Ezekiel 1:4, 27 and 8:2 (Authorized Version) as the rendering of the Hebrew hashmal, a rare term of uncertain meaning. The Septuagint translates it as elektron, which in Greek referred to a bright alloy of gold and silver (electrum) rather than fossilized resin. Ezekiel uses the term to describe a brilliant, glowing substance associated with the divine appearances in his visions — the color of the central fire in his inaugural vision (Ezek. 1:4) and of the figure on the sapphire throne (Ezek. 1:27; 8:2). Modern scholars generally favor electrum or polished metal over amber as a translation, since the latter does not convey the incandescent quality Ezekiel describes.