Spice; Spices
Spices in Sacred Worship
Spices played a central role in Israel's worship. God instructed Moses to create a holy anointing oil from a blend of liquid myrrh, cinnamon, aromatic cane, and cassia, mixed with olive oil (Exodus 30:23-25). This sacred oil was used to consecrate the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, and all the furnishings, as well as to anoint Aaron and his sons for priestly service. The formula was so sacred that it was forbidden for ordinary use (Exodus 30:32-33).
A separate recipe of sacred incense combined stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense in equal parts (Exodus 30:34-38). This incense was burned daily on the golden altar before the veil of the Most Holy Place, filling the tabernacle with fragrant smoke. Temple officials were specifically tasked with overseeing the spice stores (1 Chronicles 9:29), reflecting the importance of these materials in Israel's worship life.
Spices in the Song of Solomon
The Song of Solomon is richly scented with spice imagery. The beloved is compared to a garden of spices (Song of Solomon 4:14-16), with references to spikenard, saffron, calamus, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, and aloes. The lover comes to his garden to gather myrrh and spice (Song of Solomon 5:1), and the beloved's cheeks are described as "beds of spices" (Song of Solomon 5:13). This abundant spice imagery conveys the intoxicating beauty and pleasure of love, while also echoing the sacred fragrances of temple worship.
Spices in Royal Life and Death
Spices were associated with royalty and wealth. King Hezekiah showed the messengers of Babylon his treasure houses, including his stores of precious spices (2 Kings 20:13). The Queen of Sheba brought a vast quantity of spices as gifts for Solomon (1 Kings 10:2, 10). Spices were essential to royal burial practices; when King Asa died, he was laid on a bed filled with spices and various blended perfumes (2 Chronicles 16:14). Young women preparing for presentation to the king underwent twelve months of beauty treatments with oil of myrrh and other spices (Esther 2:12).
Spices and the Burial of Jesus
Spices take on their most profound significance in the New Testament at the burial of Jesus. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about seventy-five pounds to prepare Jesus' body (John 19:39-40). The women who followed Jesus from Galilee prepared spices and ointments to anoint His body (Luke 23:56), and when they came to the tomb on the first day of the week with their prepared spices, they found it empty (Luke 24:1; Mark 16:1). The lavish use of spices in Jesus' burial reflected both the devotion of His followers and the royal dignity of His death.
The Spice Trade in the Ancient World
Spices were among the most valuable commodities in the ancient world, driving trade routes that connected Arabia, India, East Africa, and the Mediterranean. When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, the Ishmaelite caravan heading to Egypt was carrying spices, balm, and myrrh (Genesis 37:25; 43:11). The balsam plant, cultivated in Jericho and the Jordan Valley according to the historian Josephus, was one of the most prized aromatic plants. Revelation 18:13 lists spices among the luxury goods traded by Babylon the Great, showing that the spice trade remained a symbol of wealth and commerce through the end of the biblical period.
Spiritual Symbolism of Fragrance
Throughout Scripture, fragrance serves as a metaphor for worship and offerings pleasing to God. Paul describes the knowledge of Christ as a fragrance spread through believers (2 Corinthians 2:14-15), and sacrificial service is called "a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God" (Philippians 4:18). The connection between physical spices and spiritual devotion runs from the incense altar of the tabernacle to the prayers of the saints, which rise before God like incense (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4).
Biblical Context
Spices appear in the sacred anointing oil (Exodus 30:23-25), the holy incense (Exodus 30:34-38), temple stores (1 Chronicles 9:29), royal treasuries (2 Kings 20:13), burial practices (2 Chronicles 16:14), the Song of Solomon (4:14-16; 5:1, 13), the spice trade (Genesis 37:25), and the burial of Jesus (Luke 23:56; John 19:39-40; Mark 16:1). Revelation 18:13 includes spices among luxury trade goods.
Theological Significance
Spices in Scripture bridge the material and the sacred. The holy anointing oil and sacred incense made physical substances into bearers of divine presence and worship. The use of spices in Jesus' burial connected ancient burial customs to the greatest event in salvation history, while the empty tomb rendered the spices unnecessary — death itself had been overcome. The metaphorical use of fragrance for prayer and sacrificial service teaches that authentic devotion creates a pleasing aroma before God.
Historical Background
The ancient spice trade was one of the most important economic networks of the biblical world. Arabia Felix (modern Yemen) was a major source of frankincense and myrrh, while cinnamon and cassia came from further east. Archaeological evidence of spice residue has been found in ancient vessels throughout the Near East. The balsam groves of Jericho, mentioned by Josephus and other ancient writers, were so valuable that they were contested by competing powers. Excavations at En-Gedi have revealed a workshop that may have produced balsam perfume in the biblical period.