AMBER ( chashmal , Ezekiel 1:4; Ezekiel 1:27; Ezekiel 8:2 ). The translation ‘amber’ is much questioned, a metallic substance being generally considered more probable. Prof. Ridgeway ( Encyc. Bibl., s.v .) has, however, shown that amber may well have been known to Ezekiel. The amber commonly seen is the opaque yellow variety from the Baltic, a resinous substance changed by long submersion in the sea. It is a favourite ornament, in necklaces and bracelets, in the Orient, especially among Jewesses, and is credited with medicinal virtues.

E. W. G. Masterman.