- a diamond:
- "And the secondª rowª [shall be] an emerald,ª a sapphire,ª and a diamond.ª" {Exd 28:18} + "Thou hast been¹ in Edenª the gardenª of God;ª every¹ preciousª stoneª [was] thy covering,ª the sardius,ª topaz,ª and the diamond,ª the beryl,ª the onyx,ª and the jasper,ª the sapphire,ª the emerald,ª and the carbuncle,ª and gold:ª the workmanshipª of thy tabretsª and of thy pipesª was preparedª° in thee in the dayª that thou wast created.ª°" {Ezk 28:13}; The word yahalom may mean the diamond, from halam, to beat, smite, because of its extreme hardness, by which it will beat to pieces the other stones. It is a fine pellucid substance never debased with any admixture of other matter; susceptible of elegant tinges from metal-line particles; giving fire with steel; not fermenting with acid menstrua; scarcely calcinable by any degree of fire; and of one simple and permanent appearance in all lights. It is the hardest and most valuable of all gems; when pure, perfectly clear and pellucid as the clearest water, and eminently distinguished from all other substances by its vivid splendour, and the brightness of its reflections.
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