Exo 39:8-21

8 He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, EPH 6:14

John Gill

Stand therefore—Keep your ground, do not desert the army, the church of Christ, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard.

Having fastened on the belt of truth—By which is meant the gospel, and the several doctrines of it; see (Eph 1:13; 4:15); and to have the loins girt with it, shows, that it should be near and close to the saints, and never departed from; and that it is a means of keeping them close to God and Christ, and of strengthening them against the assaults and attacks of Satan; and is of great use in the Christians’ spiritual conflict with their enemies; the girdle is a part of armour, and so considerable as sometimes to be put for the whole (Isa 5:27); and here it is mentioned in the first place.

And having put on the breastplate of righteousness—In allusion to (Isa 59:17), meaning not works of righteousness done by men, though these are a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel (1Sa 12:3), but rather the graces of faith and love (1Th 5:8), though faith has another place in the Christian armour, afterwards mentioned; wherefore it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed by God, and received by faith, is a guard against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is a security from all wrath and condemnation.

10 And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;

19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,

John Gill

The foundations of the wall of the city—Which were twelve; see (Rev 21:14) were garnished with all manner of precious stones: see (Isa 54:11-12) not that there were all manner of precious stones in every foundation, but in them all there were, and each foundation had its stone peculiar to it, as follows; and which are not applicable to the persons of the apostles, who were not the foundations, but on them their names only were written: and besides, the order of them, as given in the Evangelists and Acts of the Apostles, is not certain, and always the same, to which these several stories may be adjusted; though they are doubtless comparable to them for their preciousness in the sight of God, and Christ, and all the saints; and for the brightness and purity of their doctrine and lives; and for their zeal in the cause of Christ; and for their solidity, and invincible courage and constancy: much less are these precious stones applicable to a set of ministers in the latter day, who are to be useful in the conversion of the Jews in the several parts of the world, where these stones are found, as Brightman thinks, but to Jesus Christ, the one and only foundation: and without entering into the particular virtues and excellencies of these stones, in general, they set forth the worth and preciousness of Christ, who is the pearl of great price; the pleasure and delight had in viewing his excellencies and perfections; his brightness, purity, and glory, and his firmness and durableness, as a foundation. There may be some allusion to the twelve stones in the breastplate of the high priest, on which the names of the tribes of Israel were written.

The first was jasper—It was laid with a jasper stone, of which see (Rev 4:3). On this stone, in the breastplate, Benjamin’s name was written.

The second sapphire—Its colour is azure, or sky blue; it is transparent, and exceeding hard. Schroder says there are very good ones found in the borders of Bohemia and Silesia; but those which are brought from Pegu are most valuable: on this stone Issachar’s name was engraven.

The third chalcedony—It is of a misty grey colour, clouded with blue, yellow, or purple; the best is that which has a pale cast of blue; it is very much like the common agate; and the Hebrew word “cadcod,” is rendered agate in (Isa 54:12) though it is thought to answer to the carbuncle in the breastplate, on which was written the name of Levi. And Pliny speaks of carbuncles, called “charcedonies,” which R. Leo Mutinensis says had their name in memory of the city of Carthagena. There is a precious stone mentioned in the Targum of Jonathan, called “cadcodin,” which answers to the diamond in the breastplate, on which Zebulun’s name was written; and in the Jerusalem Targum it is called “cadcedana,” and answers to the emerald, which had Judah’s name on it, and seems to be put for “chalcodin” and “chalcedana,” which agrees with the name of this stone.

The fourth emerald—Of which see (Rev 4:3). The best of this sort are the eastern ones. Schroder says they are found in Cyprus, Britain, and other places, but not so good as the rest. On this stone Judah’s name was written.

20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

John Gill

The fifth onyx—Which is partly of the sardian, and partly of the onyx stone, which resembles a man’s nail, from whence it has its name; it is reddish, bordering on white; it may be thought to answer to the onyx in the breastplate, on which was written the name of Joseph.

The sixth sardius—The same with the sardine stone (Rev 4:3), of a blood colour, and what is commonly called a carnelian: it is found in Sardinia, from whence it has its name, and in Bohemia and Silesia, though those of Babylon are the best. This was Reuben’s stone.

The seventh chrysolite—A stone of a dusky green colour, with a cast of yellow; by its name it should have the colour of gold. Schroder says it is found in Bohemia, and that it is the same the moderns call the topaz. Some think it answers to “tarshish” in the breastplate, rendered “beryl,” on which was the name of Asher.

The eighth beryl—A stone of a pale green colour, thought to be the diamond of the ancients: it may answer to the “ligure” in the breastplate, which the Targum on (Son 5:14) calls “birla,” and had the name of Dan on it.

The ninth topaz—A stone very hard and transparent, of a beautiful yellow, or gold colour: the topaz of Ethiopia was counted the best (Job 28:19). Some say it is so called from the island “Topazus”; on this stone Simeon’s name was engraven.

The tenth chrysoprase—A stone of a green colour, inclining to that of gold, from whence it has its name; for this is the agate in the breastplate, which was Naphtali’s stone.

The eleventh jacinth—Or “hyacinth”: a stone of a purple, or violet colour, from whence it has its name; though what the moderns so call is of a deep reddish yellow, pretty near a flame colour. Zebulun’s stone was the diamond.

The twelfth amethyst—A stone of a violet colour, bordering on purple: it has been thought a preservative from drunkenness, from whence it seems to have its name. On this stone was written the name of Gad. Agreeably to this account of John’s, the Jews speak of the tabernacle above being built on twelve precious stones; and sometimes they say, that the holy blessed God will found Jerusalem with ten kind of precious stones, and which they mention, and several of which are the same with these.

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. REV 21:19-21

John Gill

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls—Denoting the purity and preciousness of Christ, by whom the saints enter, and of the saints who enter in thereat, as well as of the place into which they enter.

Each of the gates made of a single pearl—The pearl of great price, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only gate, door, and way into this happy state: this shows that this account cannot be taken literally, but mystically, for no such pearl was ever known, large enough to make a gate of.

“A pearl is a hard, white, shining body, usually roundish, found in a shell fish resembling an oyster, but is three or four times the size of the common oyster; and which ordinarily yields ten or twelve pearls, and sometimes more. Those of the largest size that have been known are that of Cleopatra, valued by Pliny at centies H S, or at 80,000 pound sterling; and that brought in 1574 to Philip the Second, of the size of a pigeon’s egg, worth 14,400 ducats; and that of the Emperor Rudolph, mentioned by Boetius, called “la peregrina,” or the incomparable, of the size of a muscade pear, and weighing 30 carats; and that mentioned by Tavernier, in the hands of the emperor of Persia in 1633, bought of an Arab for 32,000 tomans, which, at three pounds nine shillings the toman, amounts to 110,400 pounds sterling.”

But what is one of these pearls to make a gate of, for a wall which was an hundred and forty four cubits high? (Rev 21:17). The Jews say, that the holy blessed God will bring precious stones and “pearls” of thirty cubits by thirty and place them “in the gates of Jerusalem,” as it is said (Isa 54:12) which must be understood also not in a literal but mystical sense: and L’Empereur makes mention of an ancient commentary on (Psa 87:1) which says, that the holy blessed God will make a gate at the east (of the temple), and in it two doors, each of one pearl. So R. Joshua ben Levi says, that there are in paradise two gates of agates or diamonds; some render the word rubies.

And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass—Denoting the preciousness and delightfulness of the saints’ conversation one with another; and the purity and cleanness of it, there being no mire and filth of sin in these streets; and the sincerity and openness of it, each one walking in his uprightness; which will be seen and known of all, as clearly as anything can be beheld in a transparent glass. So the Jews say of paradise, that the ground is paved with precious stones, the lustre of which may be compared to the light of burning torches.

15 And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. JOH 10:28

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. JOH 17:12

who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1PE 1:5

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: JUD 1:1

21 And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” MAT 16:24

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 1CO 1:25, 27