Crystal

( Ezekiel 1:22 , with the epithet "terrible," as dazzling the spectators with its brightness). The word occurs in Revelation 4:6 ; 21:11 ; 22:1 . It is a stone of the flint order, the most refined kind of quartz. The Greek word here used means also literally "ice." The ancients regarded the crystal as only pure water congealed into extreme hardness by great length of time.

the representative in the Authorized Version of two Hebrew words.

1. Zecucith occurs only in ( Job 28:17 ) where "glass" probably is intended.
2. kerach occurs in numerous passages in the Old Testament to denote "ice," "frost," etc.; but once only ( Ezekiel 1:22 ) as is generally understood, to signify "crystal." The ancients supposed rock-crystal to be merely ice congealed by intense cold. The similarity of appearance between ice and crystal caused no doubt the identity of the terms to express these substances. The Greek word occurs in ( Revelation 4:6 ; 21:1 ) It may mean either "ice" or "crystal."

CRYSTAL

kris'-tal:

In English Versions of the Bible the word is probably intended to signify rock-crystal, crystallized quartz. This the Greeks called krustallos, "ice," believing it to have been formed from water by intense cold. Thus in Revelation 4:6; 21:11; 22:1, either "crystal" (EV) or "ice" (Greek, krustallos) suits the context. The word rendered "crystal" in Ezekiel 1:22 (qerach) is ambiguous in precisely the same way (the Revised Version, margin "ice"). In Job 28:17 the context favors the King James Version "crystal," rather than the Revised Version (British and American) "glass" (zekhukhith). Finally, in Job 28:18 the Revised Version (British and American) reads "crystal" for the King James Version "pearls" (Hebrew gabhish; the weight of evidence favors the Revised Version (British and American) in spite of the parallelism suggested by the King James Version).

See also STONES, PRECIOUS.

F. K. Farr