---
title: בֶּשֶׂם — spice · The Tanakh dictionary
description: בֶּשֶׂם (1314), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 30 times: spice. BDB 1906: n.m. spice, balsam, balsamtree. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# בֶּשֶׂם

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«בֶּשֶׂם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **spice** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 30 times · **Key:** 1314 · **BDB:** בֹּ֫שֶׂם

### Glosses

spices (17); spice (7); of.spice (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

spice [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1314/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. spice, balsam, balsamtree [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1314/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 1 K 10:10 spice, balsam, balsamtree (Arabic بَشَامٌ, Aramaic בּוּסְמָא, ܒܶܣܡܳܐ, Gk. βάλσαμον; cf. Löw53)—ב׳ Is 3:24 +, בֶּ֫שֶׂם Ex 30:23 v. infr., בְּשָׂמִי Ct 5:1 (as if from בָּשָׂם); pl. בְּשָׂמִים Ex 25:6 + 18 times, בְּשָׂמָיו Ct 4:16;— spice, perfume, sweet odour Is 3:24; קִנְּמָן־בֶּשֶׂם Ex 30:23 (ב׳ perhaps so pointed to distinguish it from) קְנֵה־בֹשֶׂם v 23;—with this cf. Aramaic ܩܢܝܐ ܕܒܣܡܐ, קני בוסמא;—spices as costly, token of wealth 2 K 20:13 = Is 39:2 cf. 2 Ch 32:27; royal gifts 1 K 10:2, 10, 25 = 2 Ch 9:1, 19, 24; cf. sg. 1 K 10:10 = 2 Ch 9:9; as article of commerce Ez 27:22; burnt at burial 2 Ch 16:14; appointed for ingredient of the anointing oil Ex 25:6; 35:8 cf. v 28 (all P), cf. 1 Ch 9:30 (Palm. v. supr.); stored in temple 1 Ch 9:29; used for purifying the women of Ahasuerus Est 2:12; elsewhere only Ct 4:10, 14 spices, v 16 balsam-juice, gathered Ct 5:1; balsam-tree הָרֵי ב׳ Ct 8:14; beds of balsam עֲרֻגוֹת בּ׳ Ct 6:2; cf. עֲרוּגֵת בּ׳ Ct 5:13 sim. of lover’s cheeks.

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Why these entries: BDB: same consonants, part of speech agrees, 26 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «בֶּשֶׂם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1314/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[1 Chronicles 9:30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/1CH.9.30/)

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וּמִן־בְּנֵי֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים רֹקְחֵ֥י הַמִּרְקַ֖חַת לַבְּשָׂמִֽים׃

*Word for word:* and some.of the.sons of the.priests \[were.those.who\].mixed (of).the ointment.mixture of the spices

*JPS 1917:* And some of the sons of the priests prepared the confection of the spices.

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[Exodus 25:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.25.6/)

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שֶׁ֖מֶן לַמָּאֹ֑ר בְּשָׂמִים֙ לְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃

*Word for word:* oil for the light spices for the.oil of the.anointing and for the.incense of the.perfume(s)

*JPS 1917:* oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense;

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