Spices
Summary
Aromatic substances used extensively in ancient times for perfumes, anointing oils, incense, embalming, and seasoning food.
☩Types and Sources
Spices included various aromatic woods, seeds, and gums such as myrrh, aloes, cassia, galbanum, stacte, frankincense, cinnamon, and balm. Some were grown locally in Palestine, but many were imported from Arabia, India, and the East, making them valuable trade commodities. Gilead was known for exporting certain spices, and the Queen of Sheba brought an abundance of spices to Solomon.
☩Religious and Sacred Uses
Spices were essential in preparing the sacred anointing oil and holy incense for tabernacle and Temple worship. Certain Levites were specifically appointed to oversee the frankincense and spices used in sacred rituals. The formula for the sacred perfume was given by God to Moses with strict prohibitions against using it for common purposes.
☩Embalming and Burial
Spices were used in preparing bodies for burial, particularly for embalming. King Asa was buried in a bed filled with spices and various prepared ointments. After Jesus' crucifixion, women prepared spices to anoint His body, and Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred pounds.
Related Verses31 mentions
References
- 1.George Morrish, "Spices," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Spices," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.Don Fleming, "Spices," in Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Bridgeway Publications, 1990).