The Blue Stone of the Throne—Lapis Lazuli

 

After the sealing of the covenant, Moses and other elders of Israel ascended Mt. Sinai, and it was there they saw God. It’s hard to imagine what such an experience would feel like…seeing the Lord of Creation with human eyes.

Their description of the scene is revealed in the book of Exodus…

Their description of the scene included…
Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,
as bright blue as the sky. —Exodus 24:10 (NIV)

Often called “the stone of the sky” for its brilliant azure hue, lapis lazuli has long been admired and prized, from ancient civilizations to modern-day jewelry designers.

 

The Blue Stone of the Throne—Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is one of the precious stones mentioned numerous times in the bible. iIt is included in the description of God's Throne, and, according to some scholars,  is the stone on which God wrote the 10 Commandments!

While researching the stones, I noticed that some translations mentioned “sapphire” and some others mentioned “lapis lazuli” in place of “sapphire”.


Ezekiel 28:13 KJV
Thou 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 NIV
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.

As I dug deeper, I learned many modern biblical scholars believe that  the Bible were referencing lapis lazuli rather than sapphire.

The source of the variance seems to stem from the translations of the Hebrew word Sapir being incorrectly assigned to sapphire. When at the time, Sapir* was used to describe the mineral lazurite**, whether pure (Lazurite) or aggregate (Lapis Lazuli). If you share my fascination with linguistics, scroll down to the bottom for more specifics in the footnotes. 
As I researched, I learned that man scholars theorize that the 10 commandments were made of lapis lazuli. Why? In the earlier excerpt from Exodus 24:10, some scholars speculate that the blue pavement under God's feet is part of His heavenly throne. Later, in verse 12, God tells Moses to "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction." Because the only stone mentioned in the verses is the blue stone under God's feet, scholars theorize that this is what God used to create the ten commandments.
The Law of God, fashioned from the throne of God.
I love imagining it that way.  
The connection between God and the color blue continues in Numbers 15:38-39.  Here, God tells Moses to instruct his people to:

…make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.  You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord…—Numbers 15:38-39.
Scholars believe the blue cord is a direct reference to the blue stone of the Ten Commandments.
For me, Lapis Lazuli and the deep blue color is now eternally linked to God’s instruction. 🙏💕

The Bible is filled with so much detail that it is easy to overlook key details as we read for understanding. If you’re like me, going back and re-reading the passages to paint a picture of biblical scenes with rich details allows the Bible to come to life, and can help you feel more connected to the story.

 
NOW BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!! The Lapis Lazuli—Blue Stone of the Throne Bracelet was a past Bracelet of the Month, but we received so many requests for it, we've brought it back!

If you would like to join our VIP list for Our Small Batch, Limited Edition Bracelet of the Month, please sign up at the bottom of this blog post.  

*Sapir is derived from the Greek word Sapphirus.  The ancient Greeks and Romans used the term Sapphirus “blue stone” to refer to the Lapis Lazuli stone.  During biblical times, the Hebrews used the term Sapir to describe lazurite. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that this rock became known as lapis - lazuli—Latin for blue stone and derived from the word lazhumet, the ancient Persian word for blue. 

**Today jewelers reserve term lazurite for pure glassy crystal and the term lapis lazuli for opaque aggregate rock.
If you found this interesting, you may also like our posts on God, Our Rock, Jesus, Our Cornerstone and The Heart of David: Empowering You to Face Life's Goliaths.

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14 comments

  • Yvonne Nyathi

    Wow, how do I place an order, I dreamt a necklace and earrings with a blue stone, that’s what I need

  • Sibusiso

    Infact in Ezekiel 1, God’s throne is made of Lapis lazuli!

  • Donius

    Thanks for the explanation I have a much better understanding of the distinctions now after explaining the difference in lazurite and lapis lazuli.

    I’m doing a Bible study on the 10 Commandments in a couple of weeks and I had heard the story that it was written on this blue stone and now I understand where they’re coming from and I am thinking it was probably pure lazurite not lapis because it would be transparent or translucent anyway allowing light to pass through it and the scriptures were written on both sides according to tradition.
    And they probably were a size that could fit in one’s hand not a large tablet like you see in the movie the 10 Commandments. I read something elsewhere that the gemstone recall sapphire had not been discovered in 200s of years after the exodus incident where the 10 Commandments were given by God, written with his very finger on the stone which probably was the blue stone, Probably lazurite so when they mentioned the sapphire in the Hebrew text it’s referring to Lapis or lazurite

    I was at the East Texas gem and rock show today in Tyler Texas, and I bought a piece of lapis and now I wish I had looked specifically for a pure piece of lazurite which I don’t recall seeing, if it was it was probably on a piece of jewelry but most of what I saw was lapis which had a lot of calcite in it and iron pyrite which makes it more opaque and gives it more texture. Now now I will look to find a piece of pure lazurite.
    I will use this as a prop during my Bible study on the 10 Commandments.

  • Apostle Shirley

    I am curious about the beauty and quality of your offer. I wait for the experience!! Thank you so much!

  • Sheryl

    So very informative! Thank you so much. Lapis is my favorite gemstone……now I understand why I am so very drawn to it! Thank you again!

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