Jacinth (/ˈdʒæsɪnθ/,[1]/ˈdʒeɪsɪnθ/)[2] orhyacinth (/ˈhaɪ.əsɪnθ/)[3] is a yellow-red to red-brown variety ofzircon used as agemstone.[4]
InExodus 28:19, one of the precious stones set into thehoshen (the breastplate worn by theHigh Priest of Israel) is called, in Hebrew,leshem, which has often been translated into English as "jacinth".[5] The modern identification ofleshem with jacinth seems to have been popularized byMartin Luther.[6]
InRevelation 21:20, one of the foundation stones of theNew Jerusalem is hyacinth (Greek:hyakinthos).[7] However,Strong's Concordance andThayer's Greek Lexicon describe this as a stone of the color of thehyacinth plant, i.e. dark blue.[8] Therefore, the stone intended may be thesapphire.[9] In Revelation 9:17, the word appears in adjective form (hyakinthinous, "hyacinthine");[10] this, again, is thought to be descriptive of a blue or purple color, with no reference to the modern jacinth stone.[11]
