Exodus 28:17

“And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, etc.] Or “fill in it fillings of stones” f822; which shows that there were in it ouches, or sockets of gold, the hollows of which were to be filled up with precious stones: even four rows of stones; making a four square, and so filling up the measure of the breastplate: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle; about these stones, and those that follow, there is a great variety of interpretations of them, both among Jews and Christians; and they seem to be little known: our translators upon the whole seem to be as right as any in giving the names of them; the first of these, the “sardius”, is a red stone of a blood colour, as the…”

“(Compare Exodus 39:1-31.) Moses is now commanded to commit all that pertains to the offerings made to the Lord in the sanctuary to the exclusive charge of the members of a single family, who were to hold their office from generation to generation. In the patriarchal times, the external rites of worship had generally been conducted by the head of the tribe or family, in accordance with the principle involved in the dedication of the firstborn Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:12-13. Moses, as the divinely-appointed and acknowledged leader of the nation, had, on a special occasion, appointed those who were to offer sacrifice, and had himself sprinkled the consecrating blood of the victims on the people…”

“thou shalt: Exo 28:9, Exo 28:11, Exo 39:10-21; Mal 3:17 set in it settings of stones: Heb. fill in its fillings of stone the first row: Eze 28:13; Rev 21:19-21 a sardius: or, ruby, The Hebrew odem, from adam, to be red, ruddy, seems to denote the ruby; as adam does in Persian a beautiful gem, of a fine deep red colour, with a mixture of purple. Job 28:18; Pro 3:15, Pro 8:11, Pro 20:15, Pro 31:10; Lam 4:7 a topaz: Pitdah, is constantly rendered by the LXX τοπαζιον, and Vulgate, topazius, with which agrees Josephus. The topaz is a precious stone, of a pale, dead green, with a mixture of yellow, sometimes of a fine yellow; and hence called chrysolyte by the moderns, from its gold colour. Job…”

“"And fill thereon (put on it) a stone-setting, four rows of stones," i.e., fix four rows of set jewels upon it. The stones, so far as their names can be determined with the help of the ancient versions, the researches of L. de Dieu (animadv. ad Ex 28) and Braun (vestit. ii. c. 8-10), and other sources pointed out in Winer's R. W. (s. v. Edensteine), were the following: - In the first or upper row, odem (σάρδιος), i.e., our cornelian, of a blood-red colour; pitdah, τοπάζιον, the golden topaz; bareketh, lit., the flashing, σμάραγδος, the emerald, of a brilliant green. In the second row, nophek, ἄνθραξ, carcunculus, the ruby or carbuncle, a fire-coloured stone; sappir, the sapphire, of a…”