Stones, whether large or small are symbols of strength, changelessness, eternity, permanence, resolution, durability, immortality, harmony, cohesion, indestructibility, age, and the wisdom of the ages. They are associated with water, the moon, healing, mountains, trees, altars, fortresses, and sacred groves. The Chinese hang stone chimes to encourage fertility. In many areas, stones are symbols of the divinity. The Bible often uses rocks as symbols of the unchangeable and eternal nature of God (1 Sam 2:2; 2 Sam 22:3; Is 17:10; Ps 28:1; 31:2-3; 89:26; 95:1; Mt 16:18; Rom 9:33; 1 Cor 10:4). On his deathbed, Jacob referred to God as the "Shepherd, the Stone of Israel" who watched over Joseph in the land of Egypt (Gen 49:24). To Christians, stones and rocks represent sure foundations and shelter as well as obstacles (Isa 62:10). Stones are the antithesis of all living things since they are not subject to death and decay.
Alchemists sought after the Philosopher's Stone (lapis philosophorum) which was believed to change cheap metals into gold. This mythical stone was associated with the palty stone (lapis exilis) and the Holy Grail - all of which were mystical symbols of Christ the reconciler of all things. Mystics believed that the finder of any of these objects would experience complete wholeness; attain perfection; and see the world as it truly is.
Thunderstones or flint are symbols of thunder and lightning and as such are an attribute of Zeus. Used in the hammers and axes of various gods, they represent storms; the violence of nature; and divine retribution. Depending on the culture, thunderstones were used to attract or ward off lightning.
The Bible mentions a few instances where people became as still as stones under the hand of God or through fear, anger, and sickness (Ex 15:16; 1 Sam 25:37). Then, as now, people were said to sink to the bottom of bodies of water "like a stone" (Ex 15:5; see also Neh 9:11). The hardness of stone made it a symbol of ice and determination (Job 38:30; Ezek 3:9). This quality also made "hearts of stone" the ultimate image of obstinacy and coldness (Job 41:24; Ezek 36:26; 1 Sam 25:37). Job told his companions that, as a feeling creature, he had the right to complain about his sufferings since he certainly did not have the insensible nature of a stone (Job 6:12). Job also complained that God washed away his hope with troubles as surely as "water wears away stones" (Job 14:19).
In many countries, people, particularly heroes or the first humans, were said to have been born from stones. Usually these mother-stones had fallen from the sky. All stones were called the "bones of Mother Earth" in Greco-Roman and Native American traditions. Greek mythology explained the repopulation of the earth after the Flood by claiming that the two survivors, Deucalion and Pyrrha, tossed the "bones of Mother Earth" over their shoulders and these then sprang up as members of a new human race. John the Baptist warned his listeners to perform works befitting the repentant rather than depend on their descent from Abraham to save their souls for "God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones" (Mt 3:9; Lk 3:8). The idea of divine beings having their origins in stone was so common in ancient legends that Mithras, and mistakenly Jesus, were said to have been born from stones. Members of various secret societies hid their souls in special stone charms or idols. The person was believed to die if their soul-stone was destroyed. Mythical characters were often turned to stone when they looked at something very frightening such as Medusa, or forbidden such as Artemis at her bath. Lecherous stares were often punished by petrification.
When Jesus was fasting in the Wilderness, the Devil came to Him and tempted Him to prove His divinity by turning the stones of the desert into bread (Mt 4:3; Lk 4:3). The magicians of the pagans often performed this trick and some of the Israelites expected the Messiah to provide them with manna like Moses had. Jesus later demonstrated the love of God for His children by pointing out that no father would give his child a stone when asked for bread (Mt 7:9; Lk 11:11). Certainly our Heavenly Father knows our weakness and that we do not know how to make bread from stone.
In ancient times, stones were made into coffins, troughs, hand mills, ovens, pitchers, fire stones, water pots, weights for scales, fences or boundary stones, hammers, baking pots, and many other things (Ex 4:25; 7:19; John 2:6). In Ireland today, the stone axes and arrowheads which are sometimes unearthed are referred to as elf-stones. Heavy stones which required the strength of several men to remove them were placed over wells to prevent mischief makers from contaminating or depleting the water supply (Gen 29:2-10). Stones covering wells or blocking entrances to caves are symbolic of hardships which must be overcome in order to gain life's treasures. The most famous stones in the Bible are those upon which God wrote the Ten Commandments (1 Ki 8:9; Ex 24:12; 31:18, 34:4; Deu 4:13; 5:22; 9:9-11; 10:1-3). These commandments, which Paul calls the "ministry of death," were so glorious that the Israelites "could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance" as he descended the mountain with them (2 Cor 3:7).
Stoning was a popular biblical use of stones (Ex 8:26; 17:4; Lev 20:2, 27; 24:14-23; Num 14:10; 15:35; Deu 13:10; 17:5; 21:21; 22:21-24; Josh 7:25-26; 1 Ki 5:15; 6:7, 18, 36; 12:18; 2 Ki 21:10-13; 2 Chr 10:18; 24:21; Lam 3:53; Ezek 16:40; 23:47; Mat 23:37; Mk 12:4; Lk 13:34; 20:6; John 8:7, 59; 10:31-33; 11:8; Acts 14:5). This was the official method of execution prescribed by the Law of Moses. Famous victims of stoning include Achan, Naboth, Stephen, and Paul (Josh 7:25; 1 Ki 21:13-16; Acts 7:59; 14:19; 2 Cor 11:25). The Israelites also threatened to stone Moses, Joshua, and Jesus. Indeed, our Lord called Jerusalem "the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her" (Mt 23:37; Lk 13:34).
Although enraged mobs often grabbed stones and hurled them at their victims, Adam Clarke claims that the usual method of meting out capital punishment was much more orderly and compassionate. After being tried, the guilty party was taken outside the camp and stripped of everything but a loincloth. Then the witnesses placed their hands on him as a Mosaic symbol of their testimony. Finally, one of the witnesses took up a large stone and hit the condemned in the loins with it. If this blow failed to kill its victim, both the witnesses joined forces in dropping a single huge stone upon his chest, thus finishing him off.
Several saints have stones as their attributes. St. Jerome is frequently portrayed beating his chest with a stone while praying as a sign of penance and mortification of the flesh. Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus saved from stoning, carries a stone as a reminder of this incident and her repentance. Stephen and Barnabas carry stones as signs of their martyrdom by stoning. At their first meeting, Jesus gave St. Peter a new name - "Cephas" which means a stone or a rock (John 1:42). This was to designate Peter as the first leader or foundation of the Church. Liborius of Paderborn may be pictured with three stones lying on a book representing those stones which cause so much trouble in the kidneys, bladder, and gull.
When Jacob was fleeing from the wrath of Esau, he used a stone for his pillow as he camped for the evening in the area of Luz. During the night, he had a spectacular vision of angels ascending and descending upon a ladder. Jacob beheld God standing at the head of this ladder, giving him the promises He had previously given to Isaac and Abraham. He furthermore promised to be with Jacob on his journey and to bring him safely home. When Jacob awoke, he named the place Bethel, which means "house of God," stood his sleeping stone up as a pillar, and anointed it with oil (Gen 28:10-22). By anointing the pillar with oil, Jacob was consecrating the stone and making it an altar fit for the receipt of drink offerings. He was also solemnizing the vow he made to take God as his personal god and give Him a tithe of all he should have if brought safely home. Standing stones or pillars are symbols of the axis mundi and some people believe that the area of Bethel was actually the gateway to Heaven.
Stones, whether standing, on chains, in altars, or in heaps were important parts of idol worship (Lev 26:1; Num 33:52; 2 Ki 19:18; Deu 4:28; 28:36, 64; 29:17; Judg 3:19, 26; Isa 37:19; 57:6; Jer 2:27; 3:9; Ezek 20:32; Dan 5:4, 23; Hab 2:19; Rev 9:20). The ancients gave them powers related to their shapes - for example a stone might resemble the features of one's totem animal and be called upon or worshiped as such. Semitic deities such as Ashtoreth were frequently represented by stone cones or pillars. Large stones were also set up in sacred circles and dolmens, many of which were destroyed because of their pagan associations. Later, some of these structures, such as Stonehenge were thought to have been used as calendars or astronomical aids. Popular legend states that Merlin, using only the power of his song, flew Stonehenge's rocks all the way from Ireland to England. Stones used in pagan rituals were frequently anointed with oil as this was believed to induce the desired deity to take up residence within them. After this, visitors might pour drink offerings over them, or use them as altars for sacrificial victims. Meteorites, since they fell from heaven, were especially worshiped.
In addition to being receptacles of the gods, stones were believed capable of containing the souls of good and evil spirits, ghosts, and one's ancestors. From such beliefs may come the tradition of casting a stone behind one when leaving a funeral to prevent the ghost of the deceased from following. Some dolmens, known as "hot stones," were believed to soak up the fecundal powers of Mother Earth and transfer them to the infertile women who sat upon them to cure their barrenness. Naturally pitted stones may be referred to as "sacrificial stones" because of the many untrue stories of their use in blood sacrifices. During droughts, the Romans dragged their lapis manalis into the city, believing that it would bring rain to the parched land. Two stones are very important in Islamic tradition. One is the yamin Allah (God's right hand) which is a black stone upon which pilgrims swear an oath to remain faithful to their religion. It is believed that at the Resurrection, this stone will testify on their behalf. At Mina, Islamic pilgrims cast stones at a rock which represents the Devil. Israelites often made their altars using twelve stones - one for each tribe - so that the whole nation would be remembered before the Lord (1 Ki 18:31-18:38).
Pagan altars were so common in Israel that the Lord sent the Babylonians to beat their altars into dust as was the way of conquerors (Isa 27:9). "Pouring down her stones" was God's way of saying that Samaria's idols and pagan altars would be torn apart by invading warriors (Micah 1:6). When the Apostle Paul came across an altar dedicated to the "Unknown God," he was inspired to tell the Athenian philosophers that as "the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising" (Acts 17:29).
Stones, such as the Black Stone of Cybele, the Palladium of Troy, and the omphalos at Delphi, were considered prophets or used as aids to divination. Some were believed to speak but others gave their oracles by rocking or, like the Roman Lapis lineus, changing colors. Legends in Ireland and Britain told of stones which parted before or cried out when touched by men destined to become kings. According to the tales of the round table, King Arthur proved himself to be the rightful king by pulling a sword out of a stone. On the first Psalm Sunday, when the Pharisees told Jesus to silence the cheering crowds, He replied, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out" (Lk 19:40). Some believe the stones of the Temple rather than those of the road are indicated here.
Stones appear in many myths. According to Greco-Roman mythology, Cronus (Saturn), fearing that he would be supplanted by one of his children, devoured them as soon as they were born. However, when Zeus (Jupiter) was born, his mother saved the infant's life by giving Cronus a stone dressed as a baby to swallow. This was later erected and anointed in Delphi where it was revered as the Abadir Stone or the omphalos (naval). Orpheus played so skillfully that stones and trees left their places and followed the sounds of his music. The ancient Chinese believed that the heavens were like the roof of a cave and stones were actually stalactites which had broken off and fallen to earth. There exist many myths, both ancient and modern, about the Megalithic (big stone) structures such as Stonehenge, found around the world. These were erected between 4000 and 1500 B.C. and no one knows who erected them or why.
To avoid graven images, Mosaic Law prohibited the use of carved, polished, or dressed stones in the altars of the Lord (Ex 20:25). For this reason, some Jews disapproved of the dressed stone blocks used to build the Temples of Jerusalem. Raw stones symbolize freedom, wholeness, and unity, while dressed stones symbolize darkness, slavery, division, and perfection. Stones uncut by human hands were especially symbolic of Christ and the Church because it was chosen and formed by God Himself (Dan 2:34-35, 45). Broken stones represent infirmity, disintegration, death, and dismemberment. In Freemasonry, the apprentice is represented by a rough stone which desires to be perfected into a hewn stone so that he may be placed into the temple of humankind. Although altars were frequently made with twelve stones - one for each of the tribes of Israel - a single large stone could be used in an emergency (1 Sam 14:33).
Stones or heaps of stones were often set up as reminders of special events or covenants. David and Jonathan parted for the last time at the stone Ezel. 'Ezel' means 'separation.' (1 Sam 20:19). Jacob and Laban set up a heap of stones which Jacob called Galeed to remind them of their promise not to harm each other (Gen 31:46-48). When the Lord helped Israel defeat the Philistines by frightening their armies with loud thunder, "Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us" (1 Sam 7:12). Ebenezer means 'Stone of Help.' The Moabite Stone, erected by King Mesha to commemorate his works and victories around 900 B.C., was discovered at Dibon in 1868 A.D. On it were inscribed thirty-four lines, some of which recounted his battles with Omri and Ahab (2 Ki 3:4-27).
After Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan he set up two piles of twelve stones each from the midst of the river as reminders to the generations to come of the Lord's miraculous care for them. One pile was built by representatives from each tribe in the midst of the Jordan before the waters returned to their natural flow. The other was heaped on the river bank at Gilgal so that children seeing them might ask, "What do these stones mean to you?" (Josh 4:1-21). Joshua also built an altar of unhewn stones on Mount Ebal (Josh 8:31). There, following the instructions of Moses, he whitewashed large stones and wrote upon them the words of the Law (Deu 27:1-8; Josh 8:32). [Scholars debate as to how much of the Law was written on these stones. Guesses include: the entire book of Deuteronomy; the Ten Commandments; or the blessings and curses of the Law beginning in Deuteronomy 27.] After the stones were put in place, six of the tribes stood on Mount Gerizim to pronounce the blessings of the Law, while the rest of the tribes stood on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curses upon the transgressors of the Law. As his last public act, Joshua set up a large limestone slab under an oak (which may have been the same tree under which Jacob buried his pagan idols) in Shechem near the Tabernacle and wrote upon it the words of the Law. He then led the Israelites in another renewal of the Mosaic Covenant (Josh 24:26-27). These inscribed stones were to be witnesses of the Covenant for, even if the ears of the people were closed to the commandments of their God, the stones had "heard all the words of the LORD" (Josh 24:27). Paul told the Corinthians that they were God's witnesses for His epistles were now written on their "tablets of flesh" or hearts rather than on "tablets of stone" (2 Cor 3:3).
Stones were also used as landmarks (2 Sam 20:8; 1 Ki 1:9; Josh 15:6; 18:17). Heaps or piles of stones were set up as road signs to direct travelers and as reminders of significant events. Often these events had to do with important deaths. Piles of stones, called menzeh, were placed over graves in cemeteries and also near places where someone had been murdered or died in a particularly sad or remarkable way. It is still the custom when visiting Jewish cemeteries to place pebbles on gravestones as a sign of respect for the deceased. Large heaps of stones were erected as memorials or warnings over the graves of both heroes and criminals. Both Achan and Absalom had such heaps raised over them (Josh 7:25; 2 Sam 18:17; Isa 14:19). Joshua ordered large stones piled against the mouth of the cave at Makkedah to prevent the five Amorite kings who were hiding there from escaping (Josh 10:18). After the battle, he ordered them killed and buried in that same cave and its entrance was once again blocked up with large stones (Josh 10:27). The Valley of Jehoshaphet between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives has been used as a cemetery for thousands of years and contains many flat tombstones (Joel 3:2, 12). The original purpose of Jewish tombstones was to prevent priests, pilgrims, and tillers of the soil from accidentally becoming defiled by contact with the dead (Mt 23:27; Haggai 2:13; Num 19:11-22). In many areas stones are thrown on tombs or heaps of stones to drive away ghosts or jinn.
Wealthy citizens of Judea carved tombs for themselves out of soft limestone rocks or hillsides and often placed gardens around them. Between burials these chambers were closed with large round stone slabs which usually required several men to open and close. Such was the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea in which Jesus was laid and also the tomb of Lazarus whom Jesus brought forth from the dead (Mt 27:60; Mk 15:46; John 11:38-41). The Pharisees and chief priests, fearing that Jesus' disciples would steal His body and spread the story that Christ had risen from the dead, petitioned Pilate to have the tomb sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers (Mt 27:66). Easton's Bible Dictionary relates that the sealing was probably accomplished by "stretching a cord across the stone and sealing it at both ends with sealing-clay." This same method was probably used to seal the lion's den after Daniel was thrown into it (Dan 6:17). After the Sabbath, as the women walked to Jesus' tomb, they wondered who would roll away the heavy stone door so they could finish preparing His body for burial (Mk 16:3). Fortunately, there was a great earthquake and "an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it" (Mt 28:2; Mk 16:4; Lk 24:2; John 20:1). Since then, the stone being rolled away from the tomb has been a symbol of the Resurrection and the power of Christ over the strongholds of sin and death.
Houses in Israel were commonly made of rough stones and may have had stone doors set in hinges. Public buildings such as the Temple and Herod's theater in Cesarea were made of cut stone blocks (1 Ki 5:17-18; 7:9-12; 12:12; 15:22; 2 Ki 22:6; 1 Chr 22:2, 14; 29:2; 2 Chr 2:2, 14; 16:6; 34:11; Ezra 5:8; 6:4; Isa 9:10; Lam 4:1; Ezek 46:23; Zec 5:4; Amos 5:11; Hag 2:15; Mk 13:1; Lk 21:5). The walls of Jerusalem were built of stone (Neh 4:3). Pilate's "Pavement" was probably a mosaic stone floor (John 19:13). Since stones were used in many buildings, carpenters such as Jesus and Joseph, worked in stone as well as wood.
According to Mosaic Law, if the stones of a house became contaminated by mold or mildew, a priest had to be brought to the home. After examining the scene, he would order the contaminated stones replaced and thrown into an unclean area outside the town. Then the building had to be replastered. If mold once again broke out in the home, the whole building had to be torn down and deposited in the unclean place (Lev 14:40-45).
Families were compared to buildings and their children were considered the stones of the ancestral home. God compared the creation of the world with the building of a house. Christ is most likely the cornerstone of the world-house (Job 38:6). Cornerstones and capstones are the most important stones in a building. The cornerstones of a foundation join the walls together and the capstone (a.k.a. keystone) is the crown of the building upon which the master builder might place his signature. If these should fail, the whole structure is doomed to fall. Christ is the capstone because He is the glory, the crown, and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He is the signature of the merciful God and the cornerstone of the Church in which Jews and Gentiles are joined together as a habitation for God (Eph 2:19-22). Jesus is the stone which the builders (meaning the Jewish leaders and the mob before Pilate) rejected but which has now become the honored chief cornerstone (Psa 118:22; see also Zec 10:4; Mt 21:42-43; Mk 12:10; Lk 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:7).
The Lord God lay a stone in Zion, a tried and precious cornerstone, for a sure foundation. this cornerstone is Jesus in whom Christians may put their trust and build upon so that in the Last Day they will not be disappointed (Isa 28:16; 1 Cor 3:12-13). In Zechariah's vision, this stone had seven eyes to indicate that this judge had the omniscience to rule with perfect fairness. The LORD of hosts would engrave its inscription and with it "remove the iniquity" of Israel in a single day (Zec 3:9). This verse is seen as a Messianic prophecy of Christ's bearing the sins of the world upon the cross. Some people see it as prophesying the salvation of the Jews at Christ's return.
Adam Clarke writes that the stone laid in Zion was foreshadowed by the stone lots used in the Mosaic scapegoat ritual. On the day of this ritual, two lots were made of stone or wood. On one was written the word "Lashem" (meaning the Name) for the Temple sacrifice. On the other was written the word "Laazazel" for the scapegoat which would carry the sins of the people into the wilderness. The priest stood before two goats and after the lots were shaken in a kalpey, the priest put his hands into it and drew a lot out in each hand. He then put the lot he had drawn with his right hand on the head of the goat standing at his right and vice versa. Therefore the words "Behold I lay a stone in Zion" may refer to this ritual and mean that God has chosen Christ for His scapegoat and determined that the guilt of all the sins of the world should be borne by Him (Is 28:16; Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:6; Clarke's Commentary - Lev 16:8-10; Isa 28:16).
The stone laid in Zion is precious, like a secure sanctuary to those who believe, but to unbelievers, He is "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense....a trap and a snare" (1 Pet 2:6-8; Isa 8:14; Zech 10:4; Eph 2:20). Paul writes that the stumbling stone is the pursuit of righteousness through the Law apart from faith (Rom 9:30-33). Since no one can keep the Law perfectly, righteousness can only be obtained through faith in the mercy of God and the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus warns the Jewish leaders that the faith of righteousness will be evidenced by its fruits, saying, "The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Mt 21:43-44; Lk 20:17-18). The stones of the Lord must never be thought of as easy things; the prophet Jeremiah writes that God "has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked" (Lam 3:9). His ministry brought him great difficulties and yet he could no more escape this snare of the Lord than the wicked could escape the snares laid for them.
Anointed stones were thought to be alive since they now contained the spirit of the god or demon they were devoted to. Jesus and His followers are called "living stones" which are being built up into a "spiritual house" so that there is no longer a stone Temple with its animal sacrifices, but a fleshy Temple which makes spiritual sacrifices in the form of prayers; good deeds; and struggles against persecutions and temptations (1 Pet 2:4-8). In many places other stones were thought to be alive and to bleed when struck by picks. According to legend, stones that walk or dance at night, such as the Gaelic fir chreig (false men) and England's Rollright Stones, tend to get thirsty and wander off to nearby rivers to get a drink.
Important stones were considered by their admirers to be the center of the earth. Some Jews believed such was the case with the foundation stone of the Temple or Jacob's Bethel. A sacred stone at Delphi was thought to be the earth's navel. Although broken down, the stones of Jerusalem were longed for by the Israelites living in Captivity (Psa 102:14).
The limestones of Zion and the Temples (Solomon's, Zerubbabel's, and Herod's) were quarried in the huge underground caverns or "Royal Quarries" under the city. Josephus claims that Solomon's Temple was made of "white marble stones." He also writes that Solomon constructed a black stone causeway for pilgrims to walk upon when traveling to Jerusalem. Solomon's Temple was decorated with precious stones (2 Chr 3:6; 1 Chr 29:8). On Psalm Sunday, Jesus wept over Jerusalem because He foresaw that she would be besieged and taken by the Romans who would not leave "one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation" (Lk 19:44). Herod's Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., about forty years after the Crucifixion (Mt 24:2; Mk 13:2; Lk 21:6).
Conquerors frequently tore or threw down the stones of a city and its walls as it was taken in battle. Sometimes these stones were thrown into nearby bodies of water (2 Sam 17:13; Ezek 26:12). This was to prevent its occupants from recovering quickly from the rigors of battle and becoming a threat to their conquerors in the near future. The destruction of Babylon would be so complete and frightening that people would not even raid its ruins for stones to take elsewhere and rebuild (Jer 51:26). Its final destruction was compared to a great millstone hurled into the sea by an angel (Rev 18:21). Zechariah prophesies that during the battle of Armageddon, when the nations are gathered against Jerusalem, they will find her a very heavy stone which will crush all who try to throw her down (Zec 12:3).
Stones were also thrown on the fields of an enemy to hinder cultivation (2 Ki 3:19, 25). The Lord threatened to "stretch out over" Edom the "stones of emptiness" as a sign that she would become a desolate and untilled wasteland (Is 34:11). The Lord's care for Jerusalem was compared to a gardener who cleared His plot of stones before planting His choicest vine (Isa 5:2). Job's friend Eliphaz urged him to repent of his alleged sins because he believed that righteous people led such blissful and prosperous lives that they appeared to have a covenant of peace with the "stones of the field" (Job 5:23).
Stones were also used by the ancients as weapons in war. Small stones were hurled by hand or in slings. Large ones were hurled by war engines or rolled down on the enemy (1 Sam 17:40, 49-50; 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 26:14-15; Eccl 3:5; Judg 20:16). David went after Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones from the brook (1 Sam 17:40-50). Stones were also thrown when one man attacked another (2 Sam 16:6-13; Ex 21:18; Num 35:17-23). They were used as a convenient place to lay a head you wished to cut off. Abimelech killed seventy of his brothers "on one stone" to prevent them from becoming threats to his throne (Judg 9:5, 18). Warning against the perils of attacking one's neighbors, Proverbs points out that "he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him" (Prov 26:27). A "fool's wrath" is a greater burden to himself than a heavy stone (Prov 27:3). The phrase "A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones" has often been interpreted as a referral to preparations for war, but it can also refer to the gathering of stones for building, and symbolically to the gathering or rejecting of companions for a spiritual house or movement (Eccl 3:5).
During biblical times crowns, jewelry, walls, and treasuries contained precious stones (2 Sam 12:30; 1 Chr 32:27). Solomon received precious stones in trade or as gifts and tributes (1 Ki 10:2, 10-11; 2 Chr 9:1, 9-10; Ezek 27:22). He increased the wealth of Jerusalem so much that people claimed he "made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones" (2 Chr 1:15; 9:27; 1 Ki 10:27). Although usually a sign of wealth, the precious stones of Babylon were evil due to the wicked natures of its inhabitants (Rev 17:4; 18:12; 18:16). Each type of stone has its own special symbolism, but in general gemstones represent wealth, treasure, angels, clarity, transmutation, perfection, beauty, and light. Some people believed that rocks nurtured gemstones like embryos and eventually gave birth to them. Oriental monarchs had their robes, walls, and floors covered with precious stones. The glory, rank, and beauty of Satan before his fall is illustrated by his robe of precious stones (Ezek 28:13). Before being cast out of Heaven, Satan walked on the "holy mountain of God" in the "midst of fiery stones" [probably a referral to heavenly walls and pavements of gemstones] (Ezek 28:14-16).
The New Jerusalem will be made of colorful gems, sapphires, and crystals which in ancient times were thought capable of giving off light (Isa 54:11-12; Rev 21:19). The light of the new city will be "like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (Rev 21:11). The wealth awaiting the Israelites in the Promised Land was indicated when it was described as "a land whose stones are iron." God will also place iron rather than stones in the New Jerusalem (Deu 8:9; Isa 60:17). Surprisingly, in the Millennial Temple, sacrifices will resume and there will be "four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering..." (Ezek 40:42).
The Lord is described as being "like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance" as an indication of His immortality, glory, strength, and age (Rev 4:3). An emerald rainbow surrounds His throne as a reminder of His covenant with Noah (Rev 4:3; Gen 8:21-22; 9:8-17). He sits on a sapphire (azure blue) throne and under His feet is a clear sapphire pavement (Ezek 1:26; 10:1; 24:10).
The Jewish high priest wore a beautiful ephod or vest with a breastplate composed of twelve precious stones arranged in four rows. Each of the stones had the name of one of the tribes of Israel engraved upon it (Ex 28:17-21; 39:10-14). This was known as "the breastplate of judgment" (Ex 28:15-29). The ephod was fastened at the shoulders with two onyx stones upon which had been engraved the names of the tribes of Israel - six on each onyx (Ex 25:7; 28:9-14; 35:9, 27; 39: 6-7). According to Adam Clarke, the stones were to remind God of the needs and desires of the Israelites whenever the high priest stood before Him. Josephus writes that one of the onyx buttons of the ephod would shine brilliantly whenever God attended their sacrifices. Also, when the Israelites prepared for battle, the twelve stones of the breastplate would shine like lights if God was with them to lead them to victory. Because of these miracles, Josephus claims that god-fearing Greeks called the breastplate "the Oracle." Sadly, the stones quit shining about 200 years before his writings because God was angry at His people (Josephus - The Antiquities of the Jews).
A white stone with a secret new name written upon it will be given to Christians who overcome the trials and temptations of this world (Rev 2:17). White stones were used in courts to vote for the innocence of the defendant. Black stones were cast as a guilty vote. In ancient times, colored stones were used as tickets to public events. White stones were symbols of Judea. Buddhists traditionally associate black pebbles with bad deeds and white pebbles with good ones. These may be placed in a balance and weighed to determine one's end.
Sickness and curses may be embodied in stones. At one time, sick people would rub their afflicted parts with stones at the tomb of a holy person, hoping to transfer their illness to the stone. If someone later picked up the stone, they ran the risk of catching the disease which now "lived" in it. When David fled from Absalom, Shimei cursed and hurled stones at him (2 Sam 16:6, 13). Some stones such as that of the Holy Grail were credited with the power to restore health. The lapis exilis (sometimes associated with the Grail) was a stone thought by some to restore youth to the phoenix.
Satan tempted Jesus to jump from the top of the Temple by saying that if He were truly the Son of God, the angels would prevent Him from even dashing His "foot against a stone" (Psa 91:12; Mt 4:6; Lk 4:11). The demoniac of Gadarene hid among the tombs and cut himself with stones (Mk 5:5). Eliphaz wrongly accused his friend Job of trusting in his wealth rather than the Lord and advised him to lay his gold "among the stones of the brooks" (Job 22:24).
The stone of the garden tomb was believed to be the period on the life of another crazy man who claimed to be the Messiah. Jesus' followers either thought they had been mistaken about their teacher or that their nation had killed another one of the great prophets sent to them. Like the mighty gates of death, this stone closed on their friend. The Jewish leaders, confident that Jesus would not be raised from the dead, had the stone sealed to prevent rumours of a resurrected Christ from spreading throughout the land. However, a mighty earthquake came and an angel rolled away the stone. The Messiah arose, and the stone became a symbol of the resurrection - not only of Christ but of those who through belief and repentance are spiritually raised from the dead.
All scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated.
Comments© 1998 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "The Weapons of Christ - Stone." ChristStory
Christian Bestiary. 1998. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/stone.htm
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