And the Gold of That Land is Good
The first mention of Gold in the Bible appears in Genesis 2:
“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone” (10-12).
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Like the Creation itself, which God had made, God made the elements and the precious metals also, and He considered them “good”.
It was in the land of “Havilah” where the first gold was found, according to the Book of Genesis. And there is also made mention of the onyx and bdellium. Today, we have heard of the onyx stone, but the bdellium is a bit more of a mystery. The Bdellium likely a precious stone or crystal, known to the Hebrews. This would make sense in light of that it is mentioned next to onyx, another stone.
The next mention of gold in the Bible, is in Genesis 13 in reference to the patriarch Abraham. Genesis 13:2: “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” Wealth indicated wealth, as it can today also.
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Finally, gold is mentioned in reference to jewelry in Genesis 24 in the story of Abraham finding a wife for his son, Isaac. As the Biblical account makes clear, it is Rebekah that is found, a “damsel” who was “very fair to look upon, a virgin” (24:15-16). It is here that Abraham’s servant gives Rebekah a gold earring and two bracelets weighing ten shekels of gold: “And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold” (24:22).
The next time one of God’s people is mentioned with Gold, is Jospeh, when he became, by the will of God, second in charge of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck” (Genesis 41:42).
There are many more mentions of gold in the Bible, including in Exodus in regards to the children of Israel as well as parts of the Holy of Holies itself, being made or overlaid with pure gold. In fact the book of Exodus has the most numerous mentions of gold in the Bible.
Gold is also mentioned in the New Testament numerous times mostly for symbolic analogies, including in the Books of Matthew, Acts, 1 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, and finally, the Revelation of Jesus Christ given to St. John.
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Category: Gold Jewelry, Jewelry History, Jewelry in the Bible