Sapphire

Sapphire (Hebrew sappir; Greek sappheiros) was one of the twelve precious stones in the high priest's breastplate (Ex. 28:18; 39:11) and one of the foundational stones of the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:19). In modern usage the sapphire is a blue variety of corundum, but the ancient Hebrew sappir most likely referred to lapis lazuli — a deep blue stone with gold flecks, widely used in ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian decorative art. The vivid sky-blue of lapis lazuli makes it appropriate for the descriptions of God's throne: the elders saw under God's feet something like a pavement of sapphire, like the sky in clarity (Ex. 24:10), and Ezekiel saw the firmament above the living creatures as crystal with a throne above it like sapphire (Ezek. 1:26; 10:1). The sapphire is also listed among the gems adorning the prince of Tyre (Ezek. 28:13) and appears in both Job 28:6 and Isaiah 54:11–12 as a symbol of divine beauty and blessing.