Beryl

Beryl is the rendering of the Hebrew word tarshish in the Authorized Version, a precious stone named after the city from which it was imported. It was set in the fourth row of the High Priest's breastplate of judgment, alongside jasper and onyx, and bore the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The precise identification of the stone is uncertain—translators have variously rendered tarshish as beryl, chrysolite, or topaz across different versions.

Beryl appears in several visionary contexts in Scripture. The prophet Ezekiel describes the wheels of the divine chariot as the color of beryl, conveying radiant brilliance. Daniel sees a heavenly figure whose body was like beryl and whose face shone like lightning. In the New Jerusalem of Revelation, beryl forms the eighth foundation of the city wall. The stone's associations with divine glory, priestly service, and eschatological architecture give it theological weight beyond its purely mineralogical identity.