Topic
Spice, Spices
33 passages cited, from 2 classic reference works.
These works date from 1884–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Genesis 37:25Smith · ISBE
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
- Genesis 43:11Smith · ISBE
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
- Song of Songs 6:2Smith · ISBE
My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
- John 19:39Smith · ISBE
And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
- John 19:40Smith · ISBE
Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
- Exodus 25:6ISBE
Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
- Exodus 30:7ISBE
And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
- Exodus 30:23ISBE
Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
- Exodus 30:34ISBE
¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:
- Exodus 31:11ISBE
And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
- Exodus 35:8ISBE
And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
- Exodus 35:15ISBE
And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
Show 21 more
- Exodus 35:28 ISBE
- Exodus 37:29 ISBE
- Exodus 39:38 ISBE
- Exodus 40:27 ISBE
- Leviticus 4:7 ISBE
- Leviticus 16:12 ISBE
- Numbers 4:16 ISBE
- 2 Kings 20:13 ISBE
- 1 Chronicles 9:29 ISBE
- 2 Chronicles 2:4 ISBE
- 2 Chronicles 13:11 ISBE
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 ISBE
- Esther 2:12 ISBE
- Song of Songs 1:13 Smith
- Song of Songs 5:1 Smith
- Song of Songs 5:13 ISBE
- Song of Songs 8:2 ISBE
- Mark 16:1 ISBE
- Luke 23:56 ISBE
- Luke 24:1 ISBE
- Revelation 18:13 ISBE
In the reference works
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884) · 7 references
- Heb. basam, besem or bosem . In (Solomon 5:1) "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice," the word points apparently to some definite substance. In the other places, with the exception perhaps of (Solomon 1:13; 6:2) the words refer more generally to sweet aromatic odors, the principal of which was that of the balsam or balm of Gilead; the tree which yields this substance is now generally admitted to be the Balsam-odendron opobalsamum . The balm of Gilead tree grows in some parts of Arabia and Africa, and is seldom more than fifteen feet high, with straggling branches and scanty foliage. The balsam is chiefly obtained from incisions in the bark, but is procured also from the green and ripe berries.
- Necoth . (Genesis 37:25; 43:11) The most probable explanation is that which refers the word to the Arabic naku’at i.e. "the gum obtained from the tragacanth" (Astragalus).
- Sammim , a general term to denote those aromatic substances which were used in the preparation of the anointing oil, the incense offerings, etc. The spices mentioned as being used by Nicodemus for the preparation of our Lord’s body, (John 19:39,40) are "myrrh and aloes," by which latter word must be understood not the aloes of medicine, but the highly-scented wood of the Aquilaria agallochum .
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 40 references
spis, spi'-sis, -sez:
(1) (besem (Ex 30:23), bosem, plural besamim, all from root "to attract by desire," especially by smell): The list of spices in Ex 30:23 includes myrrh, cinnamon, "sweet calamus cassia." These, mixed with olive oil, made the "holy anointing oil." Officials of the temple had charge of the spices (1Ch 9:29). Among the treasures of the temple shown by Hezekiah to the messengers of Babylon were the spices (2Ki 20:13). They were used in the obsequies of kings (2Ch 16:14) and in preparation of a bride for a royal marriage (Es 2:12, "sweet-odors" = balsam). Spices are frequently mentioned in So (4:10,14,16; 5:1, margin and the King James Version "balsam"; So 5:13; 6:2, "bed of spices," margin "balsam"; 8:14). These passages in So may refer in particular to balsam, the product of the balsam plant, Balsamodendron opobalsamum, a plant growing in Arabia. According to Josephus it was cultivated at Jericho, the plant having been brought to Palestine by the Queen of Sheba (Ant., VIII, vi, 6; see also XIV, iv, 1; XV, iv, 2; BJ, I, vi, 6).
See MYRRH.
(2) cammim (Ex 30:34, "sweet spices")): "Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense." It is a general term for fragrant substances finely powdered. Compare Arabic shamm, "a smell" or "sense of smell"; generally translated "sweet incense" (Ex 25:6; 30:7; 31:11; 35:8,15,28; 39:38; 40:27 (the King James Version only); Le 4:7; 16:12; Nu 4:16; 2Ch 2:4 (the King James Version only); 2Ch 13:11). In Ex 37:29; 40:27; 2Ch 2:4, we have qsToreth cammim, "incense of sweet spices."
(3) (nekho'th; thumiamata (Ge 37:25, "spicery," margin "gum tragacanth or storax"); thumiama "incense" (Ge 43:11, "spicery"; some Greek versions and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) have "storax")): Storax is the dried gum of the beautiful Styrax officinalis (see POPLAR), which was used as incense--different article from that now passing under that name. Tragacanth is the resinous gum of several species of milk vetch (Natural Order, Leguminosae), especially of the Astragalus gummifer. Septuagint "incense" is probably the best translation.
(4) (reqach, "spiced" wine (So 8:2)).
See WINE.
(5) (aroma, "spices" (Mr 16:1, the King James Version "sweet spices"; Lu 23:56; 24:1; Joh 19:40; in Joh 19:39 defined as a mixture of aloes and myrrh)).
(6) (amomon (Re 18:13), margin "amomum"; the King James Version "odours"): The Greek means "blameless," and it was apparently applied in classical times to any sweet and fine odor. In modern botany the name Amomum is given to a genus in the Natural Order. Zingiberaceae. The well-known cardamon seeds (Amomum cardamomum) and the A. grana Paradisi which yields the well-known "grains of Paradise," used as a stimulant, both belong to this genus. What was the substance indicated in Re 18:13 is quite uncertain.
E. W. G. Masterman
Texts: Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.