apothecary, compound, make (ointment), prepare, spice

“Spice, Spices” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(species). Hardly, as with us, the entire list of aromatic vegetable substances, but rather the fragrant gums, barks, and so forth, of ceremonial, medicinal, and toilet value, and for embalming (Gen. 37:25; 43:11²⁵And 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 37:25)
¹¹And 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: (Genesis 43:11); Song of Sol. 4:14¹⁴Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: (Song of Solomon 4:14); Mark 16:1¹And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. (Mark 16:1); John 19:39-40³⁹And 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. ⁴⁰Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. (John 19:39‑40)).

“Apothecary” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(to place away). The apothecary’s art was called for in the mixing of perfume (Ex. 30:35³⁵And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: (Exodus 30:35)).

“Spices” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

These were much used in the East, and were of different kinds. See the various names by which they are designated, as myrrh, aloes, cassia, galbanum, stacte.

Download (1.4 MB)

Spices at a bazaar in Jerusalem.

“Apothecary (Raqach)” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

This term is not used in scripture in the modern sense of a compounder of drugs for medicine; but in that of a compounder of ointments, such as would now be called a “perfumer,” as it is rendered in the margin of Exodus 30:25²⁵And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. (Exodus 30:25), where the holy anointing oil is an ointment compounded “after the art of the apothecary.” The same was said of the holy incense (Ex. 30:35³⁵And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: (Exodus 30:35); Ex. 37:29²⁹And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary. (Exodus 37:29)). Asa was buried in a tomb filled with sweet odors and spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art (2 Chron. 16:14¹⁴And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him. (2 Chronicles 16:14); compare also Neh. 3:8⁸Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall. (Nehemiah 3:8)). Spices were also carried to the tomb of the Lord to embalm His body.

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

7543 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

raqach

Phonic:

raw-kakh’

Meaning:

a primitive root; to perfume

KJV Usage:

apothecary, compound, make (ointment), prepare, spice