onyx

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(nail). A cryptocrystalline quartz, veined and shelled (Ex. 28:9-12⁹And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: ¹⁰Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. ¹¹With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. ¹²And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. (Exodus 28:9‑12); 1 Chron. 29:2²Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. (1 Chronicles 29:2)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

The precious stone in each shoulder piece of the ephod, and one of those in the breastplate of the high priest. Its Hebrew name is shoham; but this has five different translations in the LXX, and its identity is uncertain (Gen. 2:12¹²And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. (Genesis 2:12); Ex. 25:7⁷Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. (Exodus 25:7); Ex. 28:9,20⁹And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: (Exodus 28:9)
²⁰And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. (Exodus 28:20); Ex. 35:9,27⁹And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. (Exodus 35:9)
²⁷And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; (Exodus 35:27); Ex. 39:6,13⁶And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. (Exodus 39:6)
¹³And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. (Exodus 39:13); 1 Chron. 29:2²Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. (1 Chronicles 29:2); Job 28:16¹⁶It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. (Job 28:16); Ezek. 28:13¹³Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (Ezekiel 28:13)).

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

7718 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

shoham

Phonic:

sho’-ham

Meaning:

from an unused root probably mean to blanch; a gem, probably the beryl (from its pale green color)

KJV Usage:

onyx

Jackson’s Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names:

setting them equal: justifying them