Library Home>All Subjects>P Subjects>Perfume

Perfume

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(thorough-fume). Perfumes largely used by Hebrews in religious rites and for toilet purposes (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); Prov. 27:9⁹Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. (Proverbs 27:9)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

A special perfume was made to burn as incense in the tabernacle. It was compounded of stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense, an equal weight of each: it was most holy. No one was allowed to compound the same for themselves, or they would be cut off from God’s people. It was typical of the excellencies of Christ which were as sweet incense to God (Ex. 30:34, 38³⁴And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: (Exodus 30:34)
³⁸Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people. (Exodus 30:38)). Perfumes are supposed to be more needful in hot countries (Song of Sol. 3:6⁶Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? (Song of Solomon 3:6)). In Proverbs 27:9⁹Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. (Proverbs 27:9) it is said, “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart”; but it may also be employed as a mere matter of luxury or of sin when the heart is away from God (Prov. 7:17¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. (Proverbs 7:17); Isa. 57:9⁹And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. (Isaiah 57:9)).

From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Psalm 45:8⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:8). All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia.

In many parts of the East the people are excessively fond of perfuming their garments, sometimes making the fragrance so strong that Europeans can scarcely endure it. They sprinkle their clothing with sweet scented oils extracted from spices or sandal wood, and with a great variety of strongly perfumed waters. They fumigate them with powerful incense or by burning scented woods. They make use of camphor, civet wood, sandal wood, aloes, and even sometimes sew chips of perfumed wood into the garments. Reference is made to this custom in Song of Solomon 4:11¹¹Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. (Song of Solomon 4:11): “The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon”; and possibly in Hosea 14:6⁶His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. (Hosea 14:6). Most commentators suppose an allusion to this custom to be made also in Genesis 27:27²⁷And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed: (Genesis 27:27), where Isaac kissed Jacob, and it is said, “he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord Hath blessed.” This, however, is disputed by some. Kurtz refers to Tuch’s view of the passage, and agrees with his interpretation. “We must, therefore, agree with Tuch, that an aromatic smell of the herbs, flowers, and other produce of the field, must have been felt off the garments of Esau, who was a man of the field; a supposition this which involves no difficulty, considering that the country was so rich in aromatic and smelling herbs” (History of the Old Covenant, vol.1, p. 298).

Related Books and Articles: