The word Jasper is found seven times in the bible. Jasper is a type of translucent subspecies of rhomboidal quartz that is a gem of various colors, including yellow, red jasper, and in biblical times green jasper. In the bible, Jasper refers to the strength of God in all his wonders.
It also symbolizes the blood of Christ and the passing over of God’s Judgment on those that accept Jesus as Savior. John used jasper to describe some of his vision of the New Jerusalem foundation in the book of Revelation. Ancient Jasper was also used to describe something with a fine polish, like pure glass.
History of the Word Jasper In The Bible
The Hebrew word Yashpheh means jasper. According to the Strongs Concordance H3471, the Hebrew word Yashpheh is translated to mean high polish. This meaning of the word jasper can be found three times in the bible. These three Bible verses speak about the precious stones to be placed in the high priest’s breastplate. There were many kinds of precious stones, including jasper.
Exodus 28:20
The first instance of Jasper can be found in Exodus 28:20 of the KJV bible, which states:
“And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings”
This passage of scripture of the old testament refers to the placement of precious stones on the Breastplate of Aaron, with Jasper being the twelfth and last stone placed on the Breastplate of Judgement.
Exodus 39:13
The second instance of the word Jasper “yashpheh” in the KJV bible is found in Exodus 39:13, which states:
“And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.”
This scripture restates the use of jasper in the breastplate of Aaron and describes a little more in detail about the stone’s on the breastplate being set in gold.
Ezekiel 28:13
The third instance of Jasper “yashpheh” in the KJV bible is found in Ezekial 28:13, which states:
“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.”
This passage of scripture is God speaking to Satan and describing what his coverings consisted of in the Garden of Eden, including jasper which was part of the High Priest’s breastplates.
The Use of the word Jasper “iaspis” in the Bible
The translation of the Greek word iaspis “jasper,” in the bible, is a gem. You can locate this translation in Strong’s Concordance reference number G2393. This translation of the word Jasper is found four times in the KJV bible.
Revelation 4:3
The Greek word for Jasper iaspis is first found in Revelation 4:3 in the KJV bible, which states:
“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.”
This scripture refers to John’s vision of being transported to Heaven through the Holy Spirit and what he saw there. The jasper in this reference refers to his vision of God and shows the perfection of the Most High God.
Revelation 21:11
The second instance of iaspis is found in Revelation 21:11, which states:
“Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
Here John is trying to describe the New Jerusalem, the glory of God and God’s Kingdom on earth, and liken God’s transparent light to a precious jasper stone. This is something that cannot be described as it is more beautiful than anything we know on earth.
Revelation 21:18
The third instance of iaspis if found in Revelation 21:18, which states
“And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
Here John is trying to describe what the walls were made of in the building of the New Jerusalem that he saw in his vision. Gold and jasper are the closest words he could use at the time to describe the indescribable beauty of Heaven.
Revelation 21:19
The fourth and last reference to jasper or iaspis in the bible comes from Revelation 21:19, which states:
“And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;”
This passage refers to John’s vision of what the foundation was made of in the New Jerusalem, with jasper being the first stone in the foundation. Again this is John trying to describe the indescribable.
Breastplate of Aaron
As I mentioned earlier, Jasper was but one precious stone woven into the Breastplate of Aaron. Also known as the breastplate worn by high priests in ancient times and the breastplate of judgment.
There were twelve stones in the breastplate that were inscribed and represented the twelve tribes of Israel. The stones were placed in four rows, with three stones in each row, and they all had gold settings. There is some dispute among bible scholars about the placement of the stones.
Here are the twelve precious stones that the bible says were in the breastplate of judgment: Four rows of stones with three stones per row.
First Row:
- Sardius
- Topaz
- Carbuncle
Second Row:
- Emerald
- Sapphire
- Diamond
Third Row:
- Ligure
- Agate
- Amethyst
Fourth Row:
- Beryl
- Onyx
- Jasper
You can find the scripture about the breastplate in Exodus: 9-21
John’s Description of The New Jerusalem and The Presence of God
As was explained earlier in the article, John had a vision from God where he tried to describe how he saw the New Jerusalem and the Heaven come on earth in Revelation. In his description, he used the word Jasper and other precious stones to describe how God looked to him and how the New Jerusalem’s foundation and walls looked.
John’s Vision of God
John said that looking at God was like looking upon a jasper and a sardine stone and that there was a rainbow around God’s throne, and the sight was like an emerald. This was the best way John could describe the indescribable in his time. Refer to Revelation 4:3.
John also described in Revelation 21:11 how the glory of God’s light was like a jasper stone clear as crystal. Jasper stones are not clear, but if they were, that’s how the glory of God would look.
John’s Vision of the New Jerusalem
In Revelation 21: 18 – 19, John describes the walls and foundation of the New Jerusalem as made of Jasper. He said the first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, and the fourth had the appearance of an emerald. And that the city of pure gold, like clear glass.
It is clear that John was describing the indescribable because jasper and gold are not clear as glass as he describes.
Was One of The Wise Men Named Jasper?
According to a Greek manuscript of the seventh century, the Wise Men or Magi in the New Testament claims that the names of the three Magi were Gaspar, which can be translated as Jasper, Melchior, and Balthasar. The meaning of the word Jasper here is a bearer of treasure that would be a good fit for a Magi in biblical times.
Would You Like to Accept Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Saviour?
If you would like to accept Jesus (Yeshua) as your Lord and Saviour, you can do it by praying the following.
Lord, I ask you to come into my life. I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I believe Christ died on the Cross for my sins and that I’m forgiven and redeemed by the shedding of his blood. In Jesus Christ’s precious holy name, I pray, Amen!
If you prayed that prayer and believed it to be true in your heart, you are now saved! You are a reborn Christian. You are renewed through the blood of Jesus. You are now free of your past sins and can start living a faith-filled life, knowing you are accepted in Christ.