Bible Dictionary
Crystal
Crystal in Scripture denotes a bright, transparent substance, probably rock crystal or crystallized quartz. It is used to describe dazzling heavenly appearances and the purity or brilliance of God’s glory.
Definition
Crystal is probably rock crystal or crystallized quartz, a bright and transparent substance. The biblical word may also be understood as “ice,” reflecting the ancient belief that crystal was water hardened by intense cold.
Biblical Usage
Crystal describes dazzling heavenly appearances in Ezekiel and Revelation. It is associated with brightness and purity in descriptions of the heavenly throne, the glory of the holy city, and the river of the water of life.
Historical Background
The supplied material identifies the Greek term with krustallos, “ice,” and notes that several Hebrew terms are uncertain in meaning. In Job, contextual considerations favor “crystal” in some passages over “glass” or “pearls.”
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Ezek. 1:22, with the epithet “terrible,” as dazzling the spectators with its brightness). The word occurs in Rev. 4:6; 21:11; 22:1. It is a stone of the flint order, the most refined kind of quartz. The Greek word here used means also literally “ice.” The ancients regarded the crystal as only pure water congealed into extreme hardness by great length of time.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
the representative in the Authorized Version of two Hebrew words.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>kris'-tal: In English Versions of the Bible the word is probably intended to signify rock-crystal, crystallized quartz. This the Greeks called krustallos, "ice," believing it to have been formed from water by intense cold. Thus in Re 4:6; 21:11; 22:1, either "crystal" (EV) or "ice" (Greek, krustallos) suits the context. The word rendered "crystal" in Eze 1:22 (qerach) is ambiguous in precisely the same way (the Revised Version, margin "ice"). In Job 28:17 the context favors the King James Version "crystal," rather than the Revised Version (British and American) "glass" (zekhukhith). Finally, in Job 28:18 the Revised Version (British and American) reads "crystal" for the King James Version "pearls" (Hebrew gabhish; the weight of evidence favors the Revised Version (British and American) in spite of the parallelism suggested by the King James Version).</p><p>See also STONES, PRECIOUS. F. K. Farr</p>