The name means "spotted stone", and is derived from Anglo-French jaspre, from Old French jaspe, from Latin iaspidem, the accusative of iaspis, from Greek iaspis, via a Semitic language (cf. Hebrew yashepheh, Akkadian yashupu), ultimately from Persian yashp.
According to Rebbenu Bachya, the word Yasfeh in the verse Exodus 28:20 means jasper and was the stone on the Ephod representing the tribe of Benjamin.
|
