"sardonyx, a gem exhibiting the color of the carnelian and the white of the calcedony, intermingled in alternate layers, Rev. 21:20*"
Definition and meaning
sardonyx, a gem exhibiting the color of the carnelian and the white of the calcedony, intermingled in alternate layers, Rev. 21:20*
In the original Greek the word is written: σαρδόνυξ
Historical context
Domitian required people across the empire to address him as Dominus et Deus — Lord and God. Christians who refused to burn incense before the emperor's image faced economic exclusion and imprisonment. The book was written in apocalyptic imagery that believers would recognize but Roman authorities would not — a letter of resistance written to people being crushed by the most powerful empire on earth.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of sardonyx (G4557) across the King James Bible.
The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
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Common questions
Strong's G4557 (sardonyx) is a Greek word that means: sardonyx, a gem exhibiting the color of the carnelian and the white of the calcedony, intermingled in alternate layers, Rev. 21:20* It appears 1 times in the King James Bible.
The word sardonyx (G4557) appears 1 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4557 is sardonyx, a Greek word defined as: sardonyx, a gem exhibiting the color of the carnelian and the white of the calcedony, intermingled in alternate layers, Rev. 21:20*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
sardonyx is a Greek word found in the New Testament.