Midrash Rabba states: נפתלי אבאטיס
Jastrow (pg 2) writes that this is a scribal error and the word should be read אכאטיס, with a kaf in place of the bet. One page 62, he states it is the Greek term for "agate."
What is agate?
According to Wikipedia,
Agate is a term applied not to a distinct mineral species, but to an aggregate of various forms of silica, chiefly chalcedony.Wordnet defines it as
an impure form of quartz consisting of banded chalcedony; used as a gemstone and for making mortars and pestlesAccording to Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary, under agate, (cited by dictionary.com) they write:
(Heb. shebo), a precious stone in the breast-plate of the high priest (Ex. 28:19; 39:12), the second in the third row. This may be the agate properly so called, a semi-transparent crystallized quartz, probably brought from Sheba, whence its name. In Isa. 54:12 and Ezek. 27:16, this word is the rendering of the Hebrew cadcod, which means "ruddy," and denotes a variety of minutely crystalline silica more or less in bands of different tints. This word is from the Greek name of a stone found in the river Achates in Sicily.Here is a picture of some banded agate
but look around for other pictures.
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