Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the role of the perfumer was significant, particularly in the context of religious rituals and daily life. The Hebrew term for perfumer, "raqach," is often translated as "apothecary" or "compounder," indicating a skilled artisan responsible for creating aromatic substances. Perfuming was a respected craft, involving the preparation of incense, anointing oils, and other fragrant compounds used in worship and personal care.
Biblical ReferencesThe art of perfumery is mentioned in several passages throughout the Bible, highlighting its importance in both sacred and secular contexts. In
Exodus 30:25, God commands Moses to make a sacred anointing oil: "Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a holy anointing oil." This passage underscores the divine instructions given for the creation of specific aromatic blends used in the consecration of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, as well as the priests.
The perfumer's craft is also noted in the construction of the Tabernacle.
Exodus 37:29 states, "He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense—the work of a perfumer." This highlights the specialized skills required to produce the precise formulations needed for worship.
In
1 Samuel 8:13, the role of perfumers is mentioned in the context of the monarchy: "He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers." This indicates that perfumery was a recognized and valued occupation, even within the royal household.
Cultural and Religious SignificancePerfumes and aromatic substances held great cultural and religious significance in ancient Israel. They were used in various religious ceremonies, including offerings and sacrifices, as a symbol of prayer and devotion ascending to God. The sweet-smelling incense was a vital component of the daily offerings in the Temple, as described in
Exodus 30:7-8: "Aaron must burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense as a regular offering before the LORD throughout your generations."
The use of perfumes extended beyond religious practices to personal grooming and social customs. In the Song of Solomon, perfumes are frequently mentioned as symbols of love and beauty, reflecting their role in courtship and celebration.
Symbolism and Spiritual LessonsIn the Bible, perfumes often symbolize the prayers and righteous acts of the faithful.
Psalm 141:2 expresses this metaphor: "May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering." This imagery conveys the idea that just as incense rises and fills the air with fragrance, so do the prayers of the righteous ascend to God.
The work of the perfumer, with its attention to detail and dedication to creating something pleasing, serves as a metaphor for the Christian life. Believers are called to be a "fragrance of Christ" (
2 Corinthians 2:15), spreading the knowledge of Him through their actions and character.
ConclusionThe role of the perfumer in biblical times was multifaceted, encompassing religious, cultural, and personal dimensions. Through their craft, perfumers contributed to the worship and daily life of the Israelites, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire spiritual reflection and devotion.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) One who, or that which, perfumes.
2. (n.) One whose trade is to make or sell perfumes.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PERFUME; PERFUMERpur'-ium, per-fum' (qeToreth qaTar literally, "incense"): The ancients were fond of sweet perfumes of all kinds (Proverbs 27:9), and that characteristic is still especially true of the people of Bible lands. Perfumed oils were rubbed on the body and feet. At a feast in ancient Egypt a guest was anointed with scented oils, and a sweet-smelling water lily was placed in his hand or suspended on his forehead. In their religious worship the Egyptians were lavish with their incense. Small pellets of dried mixed spices and resins or resinous woods were burned in special censers. In the preparation of bodies for burial, perfumed oils and spices were used. Many Biblical references indicate the widespread use of perfumes.Songs 7:8 suggests that the breath was purposely scented; clothing as well as the body was perfumed (Psalm 45:8Songs 3:6;Songs 4:11); couches and beds were sprinkled with savory scents (Proverbs 7:17); ointments were used in the last rites in honor of the dead (2 Chronicles 16:14Luke 24:1John 19:39). The writer has in his collection a lump of prepared spices and resins taken from a tomb dating from the lst or 2nd century A.D., which was apparently fused and run into the thoracic cavity, since an impression of the ribs has been made on the perfume. Its odor is similar to that of the incense used today, and it perfumes the whole case where it is kept. The above collection also contains a small glass vial in which is a bronze spoon firmly held in some solidified ointment, probably formerly perfumed oil. Perfumes were commonly kept in sealed alabaster jars or cruses (Luke 7:38). Thousands of these cruses have been unearthed in Palestine and Syria.
Perfumes were mixed by persons skilled in the article In the King James Version these are called "apothecaries" (raqqach). The Revised Version (British and American) "perfumer" is probably a more correct rendering, as the one who did the compounding was not an apothecary in the same sense as is the person now so designated (Exodus 30:25, 35;Exodus 37:29Ecclesiastes 10:1).
Today incense is used in connection with all religious services of the oriental Christian churches. Although there is no direct mention of the uses of incense in the New Testament, such allusions as Paul's "a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell" (Ephesians 5:2Philippians 4:18) would seem to indicate that it was used by the early Christians.
The delight of the people of Syria in pleasant odors is recorded in their literature. The attar of roses (from Arabic `iTr, "a sweet odor") was a wellknown product of Damascus. The guest in a modern Syrian home is not literally anointed with oil, but he is often given, soon after he enters, a bunch of aromatic herbs or a sweet-smelling flower to hold and smell. During a considerable portion of the year the country air is laden with the odor of aromatic herbs, such as mint and sage. The Arabic phrase for taking a walk is shemm el-hawa', literally, "smell the air."
SeeINCENSE;OIL; OINTMENT.
James A. Patch
Strong's Hebrew
7546. raqqach -- ointment maker,perfumer... ointment maker,
perfumer. Transliteration: raqqach Phonetic Spelling: (rak-kawkh')
Short Definition: perfumers.
... From raqach; a male
perfumer -- apothecary.
...7548. raqqachah -- (female) ointment maker,perfumer
... 7547, 7548. raqqachah. 7549 . (female) ointment maker,perfumer. Transliteration:
raqqachah Phonetic Spelling: (rak-kaw-khaw') Short Definition: perfumers....
7543. raqach -- to mix or compound oil or ointment
... raqach. 7544 . to mix or compound oil or ointment. Transliteration: raqach Phonetic
Spelling: (raw-kakh') Short Definition:perfumer. Word Origin a prim....
Library
On the Sinful Woman.
... Then hastily went she forth in sadness to theperfumer. Theperfumer... 5. These
things spake theperfumer, in wisdom, to the harlot. The sinful...
Who is She that Goeth up by the Wilderness, Like a Pillar of Smoke...
... CHAPTER III. 6. Who is she that goeth up by the wilderness, like a pillar of smoke,
from the incense of myrrh and frankincense and all powders of theperfumer?...
Among the People, and with the Pharisees
... alabaster boxes. The trade ofperfumer was, however, looked down upon, not
only among the Jews, but even among heathen nations. But...
Chapter iii.
... 6. Who is she that goeth up by the wilderness, like a pillar of smoke from the incense
of myrrh and frankincense and all powders of theperfumer?...
His Cheeks are as a Bed of Spices, Prepared by the Perfumers; his...
... It was indeed a skilfulperfumer who chose and arranged them, for it was the Holy
Spirit that ordered the whole internal and external man Christ Jesus....
Human Arts as Well as Divine Knowledge Proceed from God.
... the senses highly gifted: in hearing, he who is commonly called a musician; in touch,
he who moulds clay; in voice the singer, in smell theperfumer, in sight...
Chapter i.
... He who, drawn by the sweetness of perfumes, enters aperfumer's shop, while receiving
the pleasure which he takes in the smell of those odours, perfumes himself...
Adam Anointed a Prophet.
... But you should rather have said, If the chrism was compounded by Aaron, by the
perfumer's art, how could the first man be anointed before Aaron's time, the...
Song of Songs of Solomon
... 6. Who is she that goeth up by the wilderness, like a pillar of smoke, from the
incense of myrrh and frankincense and all powders of theperfumer?...
A Description of Mystical Theology, which is no Other Thing than...
... might one say of her, that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical
spices, of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of theperfumer...
Thesaurus
Perfumer (4 Occurrences)... perfumes. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. PERFUME;
PERFUMER. pur
... OINTMENT. James
A. Patch. Multi-Version Concordance
Perfumer (4 Occurrences). Exodus
...Perfumer's (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version ConcordancePerfumer's (2 Occurrences). 2 Chronicles 16:14
And they put him into the resting-place which he had made...
Blended (5 Occurrences)
... Exodus 30:25 You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after
the art of theperfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. (See RSV)....
Apothecary (4 Occurrences)
... Rendered in the margin and the Revised Version "perfumer," in Exodus 30:25; 37:29;
Ecclesiastes 10:1. The holy oils and ointments were prepared by priests...
Perfume (202 Occurrences)
... PERFUME;PERFUMER.... Exodus 30:25 You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume
compounded after the art of theperfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil....
Fragrant (30 Occurrences)
... Exodus 30:25 You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after
the art of theperfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. (See NIV)....
Perfumery (1 Occurrence)
... Exodus 30:25 and make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after
the work of theperfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil. (DBY)....
Blend (2 Occurrences)
... Exodus 30:25 You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after
the art of theperfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. (See RSV NIV)....
Confection (2 Occurrences)
... kon-fek'-shun, kon-fek'-shun-a-ri (roqach "perfume," "spice," raqqahah, feminine
"perfumer"): (1) "Confection" is found in the King James Version only and but...
Confectionary
... kon-fek'-shun, kon-fek'-shun-a-ri (roqach "perfume," "spice," raqqahah, feminine
"perfumer"): (1) "Confection" is found in the King James Version only and but...
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