amber in the King James Bible

Hebrew: חַשְׁמַל —transliteration: chashmal or khash-mal

The Hebrew word chashmal is translated as “amber” 3 times in the King James Bible (KJV) and the New King James Version (NKJV) in the book of Ezekiel where Divine visions are recorded.

And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. —Ezek. 1:4 KJV

And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. —Ezek. 1:27 KJV

Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. —Ezek. 8:2 KJV

It is uncertain what the word chashmal actually means. It might refer to amber—the fossil resin of trees—but the consensus seems to be that it was probably not, but rather to a metal. Some say it was polished bronze or brass; others say an alloy of silver and gold.

Most modern Bible translations do not use the word amber, but rather “gleaming metal” or “glowing metal” (Ezek. 1:4 NASB; Ezek. 1:4 ESV; Ezek. 1:4 NIV; Ezek. 8:2 NASB).

True amber in Biblical times

Amber is mentioned by ancient Greeks such as Theophrastus and Pytheas well before the time of Christ. The Roman Pliny also wrote of it and says that it is found in Egypt and India. It was also found along the Jabbok River in Canaan, and the Baltic seacoast from where the “Amber Road” trade route to the Mediterranean Sea originates. The ancient people of southern Italy worked in amber, and there were amber deposits in Sicily on the banks of the Simetus river. Deposits are also found in Lebanon, the Southern Alps (Italy), Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Ethiopia. In ancient Syria, amber was used in the spindle whorls made for yarn spinning.

It is said the ancient Egyptians burned amber “along with non-fossil tree resins, such as frankincense, myrrh, and copal [copal tree resin], to dispel evil spirits and to purify temples and palaces.”

Ancient supposed medicinal features of amber

“The earliest accounts of amber’s medicinal properties are found in the works of Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder. In ancient Rome, Baltic amber was used as medicine against different diseases. Calistratus, a celebrated physician of those times, wrote that amber protects from madness; powder of amber mixed with honey cures throat, ear, and eye diseases, asthma, gout, and the black plague; and amber taken with water cures stomach illnesses. He states that a short string of amber beads worn around the neck brought relief to the wearer from head, neck, and throat complaints. Wearing amber bracelets was beneficial against rheumatism, arthritis, and fatigue. All manner of potions containing amber were used to cure asthma, bronchitis, bowel and bladder disorders, and heart problems.” —Graciela Noemi Gestoso Singer, “Amber exchange in the Late Bronze Age Levant in Cross-cultural Perspective,” Aula Orientalis, Volume 34(2):251-264 (January 2016)

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Article Version: April 4, 2025