Wafer
“Rakik, from rakak 'to make thin'; also tsephichith from tsaphach 'to flatten'”
Summary
Wafers were thin, flat cakes of fine flour used in various Hebrew offerings, typically unleavened and anointed with oil.
☩Description and Preparation
The Hebrew terms for wafer indicate thin, flattened cakes. The word tsephichith (from tsaphach, 'to flatten') described a pancake, while rakik (from rakak, 'to make thin') referred to a thin cake. These wafers were made of fine flour, usually without leaven, and were anointed with oil. The manna that fed Israel in the wilderness was described as tasting like wafers made with honey, giving a sense of its delicate, pleasing flavor.
☩Use in Offerings
Wafers played an important role in Israelite worship. They were part of the basket of unleavened bread used in the consecration of priests, along with unleavened cakes mixed with oil. In the peace offering, unleavened wafers anointed with oil were presented alongside other bread offerings. When a Nazirite completed the vow, wafers were included in the basket of offerings at the tabernacle door. The custom of using such ceremonial wafers continues among Jews to some extent in modern observances.
Related Verses8 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Wafer," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.American Tract Society, "Wafer," in American Tract Society Bible Dictionary (American Tract Society, 1859).