rechilut was the hebrew word for gossip in the old testament.
rechilut was the hebrew word for gossip in the old testament.
hebrew word for gossip in the old testament?
rechilut
Na
Na
the internationally renowned bible scholar bochart stated, at one point in his research, that onycha was actually benzoin, a gum-resin from the styrax species. h.j. abrahams states that the use of benzoin in the biblical incense is not inconceivable since syro-arabian tribes maintained extensive trade routes prior to hellenism. styrax benzoin was available via import to the biblical lands during the old testament era. herodotus of halicarnassus in the 5th century bce indicates that different kinds of styrax resins were traded. styrax benzoin was used by the ancient egyptians in the art of perfumery and incense. the apothecary of shemot (book of exodus) would have been familiar with its aromatic uses. s. benzoin has a history steeped in antiquity and was once employed as an incense in egypt. all the compounds identified in benzoin resin were detected in an archaeological organic residue from an egyptian ceramic censer, thus proving that this resin was used as one of the components of the mixture of organic materials burned as incense in ancient egypt. an ancient egyptian perfume formula (1200 bce) contained benzoin as one of its chief ingredients. the name "benzoin" is probably derived from arabic lubān jāwī (لبان جاوي, "javan frankincense"); compare the mid-eastern terms "gum benjamin" and "benjoin". the word 'storax' is an alteration of the late latin styrax. in the orphic hymns it is στόρακας or στόρακα. as pointed out earlier, the original word shecheleth was replaced with onycha by the septuagint translation. onycha in turn is derived from the onyx stone meaning "fingernail". conder writes that "the root of the hebrew word [shecheleth] means to drop or distil, and shecheleth would seem, therefore, to mean some exudation.” another writer says that the hebrew shecheleth identifies with the syriac shehelta which is translated as “a tear or distillation” and that “the context and the etymology seem to require the gum of some aromatic plant . . . the hebrew word would seem to mean something that exuded, having odorous qualities.” the book of ecclesiasticus lists storax as one of the ingredients when alluding to the sacred incense of the biblical tabernacle. the hindustanis use benzoin to burn in their temples—a circumstance strongly in favor of the hypothesis that benzoin is part of the incense formula of exodus. the infrequent mention of benzoin by name in antiquity is quite suspicious considering its importance in ancient recipes. it stands to reason it must have been known by another name not currently used today. references to it by name are conspicuously missing also from the old testament. callcott writes “it has been suggested that gum benzoin, which is not mentioned by any other name in scripture, must be onycha. its fracture has exactly the lustre required by the name. . . the gum is a secretion of the bark, and is of great efficacy in healing wounds. . . such are the pretensions of the benzoin to be looked upon as the true onycha, which, from the text, as i have already said, must have been some fragrant vegetable gum in itself, of foreign production, and ranking with stacte, and myrrh, and galbanum . . . all which conditions are fulfilled by the gum benzoin.” dioscorides and galen describe two kinds of bdellium, the second of which is benzoin, according to hardouin and sprengel. pererra describes benzoin tears as "flattened pieces, some of which are angular, and the larger of them . . . an inch in length." he says that "externally, these pieces are shiny." this description most certainly fits well with the interpretation of "onycha" which means "fingernail." he continues to say many of the pieces "are of an amber or reddish-yellow colour" and continues to describe parts of it as "translucent or milky, and frequently striped." this is a good description of the appearance of various onyx stones, from which the name onycha is derived. he says that many tears of styrax benzoin "are translucent, or, in a few cases, almost transparent." one type of benzoin has "numerous, white, small pieces . . . intermingled, which thereby give the broken surface a speckled appearance" which he calls "marbly." as mentioned above, although the word onycha has been interpreted as meaning "nail" it is pointed out that nail or claw is actually an extended connotation of onyx, derived from the translucent and sometimes veined appearance of the gemstone onyx. onyx comes in a variety of colors the most prominent being either the black and veined striped gem or the pinkish translucent striped gem. one related styrax is black and the benzoin discussed thus far seems to be of the pinkish, translucent sort. steeping styrax benzoin tears in wine can enhance its fragrance as well as its translucent qualities and "shiny" appearance, thus making it appear even more like the onyx gem. rambam stated that soaking onycha in wine made it beautiful. benzoin tears look very different from other resins and appear to be small stones rather than the vegetable product that it is.
onycha