3. Sammim (S'^^O ; Sept. tjCvcrf^ta, »;^r(T//(Jc, apiofia, ^vftia^ta ; Vulg. siutre fnifinms, boni odorh. gratissi- mus.aromatd ; A. V. '"sweet" in connection with "spice" or " incense") is a general term to denote those aromatic substances which were used in the preparation of tlie anointing oil, the incense offerings, etc. (Exod. xxv, 6; XXX. 7, 34; xxxi, 11 ; xxxv, 8, 15, 28; xxxvii, 24; xxxix, 38; xl, 27; Lev. iv, 7; xvi, 12; Numb, iv, 16; 2 Cliron. ii, 4 ; xiii, 1 1 ). The root of the word, accord- ing to (Jesenius, is to be referred to the Arabic samm, "olfecil," whence snmi/w, "an odoriferous substance." See Incesse. Utimmiiii, therefore, may be supposed to mean drugs and aromatics in general. When these are separately noticed, especially when several are enumer- ated, their names may lead us to their identification. Dr. Vincent has observed that " in Exod. xxx we find an enumeration of ciiniamon. cassia, myrrii. frankin- cense, sfacte. riuvcha. and galbanum, all of which are the produce either of India or Arabia." Jlore correctly, ciiniamon, cassia, frankincense, and onycha were prob- ably (ibtained from India; myrrh, stacte, and some frankincense from the east coast of Africa; and gal- banun^ fmm Persia. Nine hundred years later, or about H.C oHM, ill Ezek. xxvii, the chief spices are referred to, with the addition, however, of calamus. They are prob- ably the same as those just enumerated. Dr. Vincent refers chieHy to the I'tripbts, ascribed to Arrian, writ- ten in the 2d century, as furnishing a proof that many Indian substances were at that time well known to commerce, as aloe or agila wood, gum -l)dcllium, the gfigal of India, cassia and cinnamon,- nard, costus, in- cense— that is, olibanum — ginger, pepper, and spices. If we examine the work of Dioscorides, we shall find all these, and several other Indian products, not only men- lioiied, ijut described, as sclia'nanthus, Calamus aromati- cus. cy[terus, inalal>athrum, turmeric. Among- others, Lycium Iiidicum is mentioned. This is the e.xtract of •larberry root, and is prepared in the Himalayan ISIoun- taiiis (iJoyle, On Ihe Lyrinin of l)liisroriih'ii. in tlie lAn- niriin Tning.). It is not unworthy of notice that we tiiid no tnention of several very rcmarkalile iiroiiucts of the Kasi, such as camphor, cloves, nutmeg, betel-leaf, cubelw, gamboge, all of which are so peculiar in their nature that we could not have failed to recognise them if thi-y bad been described at all, like those we have eiiuiiuraierl, as the produce of India. These omissions are Ni^'iiilicniil of tlic countries to which commerce and navit:,itioii ha<l not extended at the lime wlien tlie other arlii-lcM were well known {IHmltio M,, Urine, p. !«). If we trace tlies<; up to still earlier authors, we shall find many of them mentioned by Theoplirastns, and even by IlippocrnteH; and if we trace them downward to the time of the Arabs (sec Si'iki;na|{|> |, and from that to modern times, we find many of them described under their iiresent names in works cnrreni iiiron;;lioiit the East, and in which their ancient names are f;iveii as •ynonyms. We have therefore as much assurance as ia (KMMtible in such cases that the majority of the sul>- Btancea mentioned by the ancients have been identilied,
and that among the spices of early times were included manv of those which now form articles of commerce from India to Europe. — Kitto. Eor more particular information on the various aromatic substances men- tioned ill tlie Bible, the reader is referred to the articles which treatof the different kinds— Cinnamon ; Frank- incense; GALiiANfji; jNIyurii; Spikenard, etc.
4. In one passage (Ezek. xxiv, 10), Hpl, rahdch, to perfume, hence to fluvor tlesh, is rendered "spice" (else- where "prepare," "compound," etc.). See Apothecary.
5. The spices (dpujua, a general term) mentioned as being used by Nicodemus for the preparation of our Lord's body (John xix, 39, 40) are "myrrh and aloes," by which latter word must be understood, not the aloes of medicine (Aloe), but the highly scented wood of the Aquilariu cnjuUochum. See Aloe, The enormous quantity of one hundred pounds' weight of wliich John speaks has excited the incredulity of some authors. Josephus, however, tells us that there were five hun- dred spice-bearers at Herod's funeral {Ant. xvii, 8, 3), and in the Talmud it is said that eighty pounds of opobalsamum were emploj-ed at the funeral of a certain rabbi. Still, there is no reason to conclude that one hun- dred pounds' weight of pure myrrh and aloes was con- sumed. The words of the evangelist imply a prepara- tion {j.uyj.ia) in which perhaps the myrrh and aloes were the principal or most costly aromatic ingredients. Again, it must be remembered that Nicodemus was a rich man, and perhaps was the owner of large stores of precious substances; as a constant though timid dis- ciple of our Lord, he probably did not scruple at any sacrifice so that he could show his respect for him. A lavish use of spices at the obsequies of the illustrious dead was also made by the later Romans; but, instead of being deposited with the body, they were cast int-o the flames of the funeral pile. The case of Nero's wife, Poppaea, was somewhat exceptional, perhaps on account of her Jewish habits. Pliny tells us {Hist. A^af. xii, 18) that more than a year's supply of spices was burned to do her honor; but Tacitus more accurately says that " the body was not dissipated in the flame, alter the Rotnan fashion; but, according to the custom of foreign kings, was filled with antiseptic perfumes and deposited in the tomb of the Julii" (Ann. xvi, 6), See Burial,