Revelation 21:20

And he says the foundations of the wall of that city are adorned with every precious stone. As for the foundation of the wall, the Lord is a wall, as has been said many times. We have spoken of the holy apostles in the foregoing. …

This stone, which has the color of a shining human fingernail, symbolizes the person of James. For before the others he received the bodily death of martyrdom for the sake of Christ, which the nail characterizes, for when cut it experiences no feelings.

Sardion has a shiny red color and possesses therapeutic power for swellings and wounds from iron. For this reason I believe that this stone represents the beauty of the virtue of Philip. For by the fire of the divine Spirit this makes bright and heals …

Chrysolite glitters like gold and perhaps symbolizes Bartholomew, for he was made glorious by his precious virtues and by his divine preaching.

This stone [beryl] has the color of the sea and of the air and is close to that of the hyacinth. Beryl very likely represents Thomas, for he was sent on journeys far beyond the sea, even to India, for their salvation.

By means of the topaz, which is deep red and like charcoal, and which, as they say, sends forth a milk-like juice that relieves the pain of those suffering from eye disease, it is possible that the soul of Matthew is indicated. For he was …

Chrysoprase is deeper in color than gold itself, and through it I think that Thaddeus is indicated. For to Abgar, king of Edessa, he proclaimed the kingdom of Christ, which is signified by gold, and his death, which is indicated by ashes.

It seems likely that the hyacinth, which is deep blue, that is, like the sky, symbolizes Simon. For he was zealous for the gifts of Christ and possessed a heavenly wisdom.

It seems to me that through the amethyst, which is somewhat like fire in appearance, Matthias is indicated. He was accounted worthy of the divine fire at the distribution of the tongues and he filled the place of him who had fallen away, for by …

The twelve "foundations" were twelve precious stones, eight of which were worn in ancient times on the breastplate of the high priest, and four have been added to show the agreement of the new [covenant] with the old [covenant] and the superiority of the things …

The fifth is sardonyx. This draws whiteness from onyx and redness from sardius, and it gets its name from both, being called sardonyx. However, there are many types of it. One kind has the appearance of red earth. Another appears two-colored, as if blood shines …

The sixth is sardius. Sardius, which is entirely of a blood-red color, signifies the glory of the martyrs, of which it is said: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Ps. CXV). Rightly placed in the sixth position, since …

The seventh is chrysolite. Chrysolite shines like gold, having burning sparks. Its appearance represents those who, shining with the understanding of supreme and true wisdom, pour out words of exhortation to their neighbors, or even signs of virtues, like sparks of fire. As Arator says: …

The eighth is beryl. Beryl, when you consider water struck by the brilliance of the sun, acquires a reddish and beautiful color. But it does not shine unless it is polished into a hexagonal shape. For the reflected brilliance of the angles sharpens its brightness. …

The ninth is topaz. Topaz, as rare in finding as it is precious in value, is said to have two colors: one of the purest gold and the other shining with ethereal clarity. Its rosy fatness and modest purity, close to the chrysoprase in size …

The tenth is chrysoprase. Chrysoprase is a mixture of green and gold, also drawing a certain purple glow with golden specks interspersed. It originates in India. It signifies those who, by the brightness of perfect charity, earn the greenness of the eternal homeland, and reveal …

The twelfth is amethyst. Amethyst is purple with a mixed violet color, and a certain shine like that of a rose, gently emitting small flames. Yet there is something in its purple that is not entirely fiery, but rather like red wine. Therefore, the purple …

The fifth, sardonyx,.... 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 cornelian: it is found in Sardinia, from whence it has its name, and in Bohemia and Silesia, though those of Babylon are the best.

A sardonyx is red streaked with white; a sardius, of a deep red; a chrysolite, of a deep yellow; a beryl, sea-green; a topaz, pale yellow; a chrysoprase is greenish and transparent, with gold specks; a jacinth, of a red purple; an amethyst, violet purple.

The fifth, sardonyx - The onyx is an accidental variety of the agate kind; it is of a dark horny color, in which is a plate of a bluish white, and sometimes of red. When on one or both sides of the white there happens to lie also a plate of a reddish color, the jewelers call the stone a sardonyx. The sixth, sardius - The sardius, sardel, or sardine stone, is a precious stone of a blood-red color. The seventh, chrysolite - The gold stone. It is of a dusky green with a cast of yellow.

The fifth, sardonyx - This word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. The “name” is derived from “Sardis,” a city in Asia Minor (notes on Rev 3:1), and ὄνυξ onux, a nail - so named, according to Pliny, from the resemblance of its color to the flesh and the nail. It is a silicious stone or gem, nearly allied to the onyx. The color is a reddish yellow, nearly orange (Webster, Dictionary). The sixth, sardius - This word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It is also derived from “Sardis,” and the name was probably given to the gem because it was found there. It is a stone of a blood-red or flesh color, and is commonly known as a “carnelian.” It is the same as the sardine stone mentioned in Rev 4:3. See the notes on that place. The seventh, chrysolite - This word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It is derived from χρυσὸς chrusos, “gold,” and λίθος lithos, “stone,” and means “golden stone,” and was applied by the ancients to all gems of a golden or yellow color, probably designating particularly the topaz of the moderns (Robinson, Lexicon). But in Webster’s Dictionary it is said that its prevalent color is green. It is sometimes transparent. This is the “modern” chrysolite. The ancients undoubtedly understood by the name a “yellow” gem. The eighth, beryl - This word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The beryl is a mineral of great hardness, and is of a green or bluish-green color. It is identical with the emerald, except in the color, the emerald having a purer and richer green color, proceeding from a trace of oxide of chrome. Prisms of beryl are sometimes found nearly two feet in diameter in the state of New Hampshire (Webster). The ninth, a topaz - This word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. The topaz is a well-known mineral, said to be so called from “Topazos,” a small island in the Arabian Gulf. […]