Deciphering the Incense

Mishnah Translation: Talmud Kerithoth 6a:

Intro: Wikipedia: In the Bible, balsam has various names: בֹּשֶׂם (bosem), בֶּשֶׂם (besem), צֳרִי (ẓori) נׇטׇף (nataf); The terms used in the Mishna are different: קׇטׇף (kataf), בַּלְסׇם (balsam), אַפּוֹבַּלְסַמוֹן (appobalsamon), and אֲפַרְסְמוֹן (afarsemon).

Editor's Note: Bosem translated as "balsam" or perfume, can also be translated in the Talmud as Besumei [Megillah 7b:7], a medicine & intoxicant. Other translations are pleasant and balm; as the ancients used the resin as transdermal medicine. See Jastrow on בְּסַם. Therefore, it seems to me that all substances used in the incense had medicinal properties (which was insufflated by burning); Jeremiah laments: "Is there no balm [medicine] in Gilead; is there no physician there?" The root word is with a Samach not a Sin, as written in the Exodus incense verse. Hence, when researching the scents, I looked for medicinal properties first and foremost (and since some plants or resins came from India and Asia, there is a long history of its use) .

Jeremiah 8:22: [,הַצֳּרִי֙ אֵ֣ין בְּגִלְעָ֔ד]: Is there no balm in Gilead? No doctors to heal?

Ezekiel 27:17: [הוּדָה֙ וְאֶ֣רֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הֵ֖מָּה רֹכְלָ֑יִךְ בְּחִטֵּ֣י מִ֠נִּית וּפַנַּ֨ג וּדְבַ֤שׁ וָשֶׁ֙מֶן֙ וָצֹ֔רִי נָתְנ֖וּ מַעֲרָבֵֽךְ׃] -

Talmud: balsam is an ointment, which was a highly praised product of the Jericho plain (Shab. 26a). R. Yehudah composed a special blessing for balsam oil: "Who creates the oil of our land" (Ber. 43a). Young women used it as a perfume (Lam. R. 4:18; Shab. 26b). After King Josiah hid away the "holy oil" recipe; balsam oil was used in its stead (Ker. 5b). In the messianic era, the righteous will "bathe in 13 rivers of balsam" (Taanit 25a).

וְאָמַר רַב זוּטְרָא בַּר טוֹבִיָּה אָמַר רַב עֲתִידִים בַּחוּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ רֵיחַ טוֹב כַּלְּבָנוֹן. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יֵלְכוּ יוֹנְקוֹתָיו וִיהִי כַזַּיִת הוֹדוֹ וְרֵיחַ לוֹ כַּלְּבָנוֹן״]

Targum: [וְרִיחֲהוֹן כְּרֵיחַ קְטוֹרֶת בּוּסְמַיָא-[S]cent like those of the Ketoret.]

(Ber. 43b):

R. Zutra B.T. Quoting Rav: The young men of Israel are destined [Talmudic for time of redemption] to emit a sweet scent as the Cedar, as it is stated: “His branches shall spread and his glory will be as the olive tree, and his fragrance as Cedar” (Hosea 14:7).

Storax may phonetically come from the Hebrew tsori. Benzoin i.e. Styrax benzoin is a close relative of and same genus as Styrax officinalis. An Egyptian perfume formula (1200 BC) consisted of "Storax, labdanum, galbanum, frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, honey, raisins." (wiki Stacte) [Ed Note: We don’t add honey due to Leviticus 2:11.] Botanist Micheal Zohary states that the two species are the same (Plants of the Bible, 1982), both from the Genus Styrax (Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c.440 BC) III.107.2).

R. Nathan (Around 1100CE): Hebrew Qaṭaf is equivalent to al-isṭirāq [אלאסטיראק] i.e Storax; Saadia Goan concurs:"Triaki" i.e Storax, which he says is "most important of all the chief aromatics, and whose manner is to harden and form into pieces...." (Nathan b. Abraham (1955), vol. 1-p51; Mishna. Shevi'it 7:6). Scent: Benzoin combined with Myrrh exudes qualities similar to opobalsamum (Mecca myrrh).

Wiki: Benzoic acid is used for the treatment of skin diseases...As the principal component of gum benzoin...Such products have a long history of use as topical antiseptics and inhalant decongestants. Benzoic acid was used as an expectorant, analgesic, and antiseptic. [Wiki]

R. Aryeh Kaplan (Exodus 30:35): The Septuagint translates nataf here as stacte, which some identify as storax gum (Pachad Yitzchak, cf. Dioscorides, De Materia Medica 1:79).

The term "Stacte" (Greek: Στακτή, transliteration: staktḗ) refers to a type of oil derived from myrrh. It is mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Septuagint (LXX) and works by Antiphon, Polybius, and Dioscorides. The phrase "ἡ τῶν φρενῶν στακτή" (hē tōn phrenōn staktē) is metaphorical and can be translated as "the stacte of the mind." It appears in Menander's "Perikeiromene" (Men. Per. 16) and suggests something precious or essential for the mind, akin to how stacte oil is for physical uses.

[מאי שמן המור רב הונא בר חייא אמר סטכתא ר' ירמיה בר-]

[-.אבא אמר שמן זית שלא הביא שליש]

Jastrow: [סַטְכַּת f. (preced.; a corrupt. of στακτή) oil of myrrh or cinnamon. Pes. 43a (expl. שמן המר, Esth. II, 12); Meg. 13a; Yalk. Esth. 1083.—Targ. Esth. II, 12 טכסת (corr. acc.). Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome (Sefer HeArukh, Letter Samekh 114):

[סטכת [פיינער עהל] (שבת פ. מגילה יג. מ"ק ט מנחות פו) מאי שמן המור רב הונא אמר סטכת פי'] [מירא דכיא (א"ב פי' בל' יוני ורומי צרי הנוטף מעצי המור וגם שמן המור היוצא מן המכבש. תרגום ששה חדשים בשמן המור שתא ירחי בטכסתי והוא טעות או הוחלפו האותיות כמו שהוחלפו בספסל ובעל [המתורגמן לא דקדק):]]

Translation: "[Stacte [Fine Oil] (Shabbat p. Megillah 13. M"K 9 Menachot 86) What is the oil of myrrh? Rabbi Huna said, 'Stacte.'] [Myrrh of Kya (A"B explanation in foreign languages, Greek and Roman, the dripping resin from the myrrh trees and also the oil of myrrh that comes from the press. Targum; Six months in the oil of myrrh, six months in the tecsiti (Letter T and S were...), and it is a mistake or the letters were switched like chairs, and the translator did not scrutinize."

Zohar: Why was is Temple Mount called "Mount Moriah"? Because of the good myrrh that was there. Zohar 2:39b: [וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא מוֹרִיָּה. עַל שֵׁם הַמֹּר הַטּוֹב דְּהֲוָה תַּמּן]

R. Aryeh Kaplan (Exodus 30:35):

Mecca Myrrh Sub-species: Commiphora gileadensis; Commiphora opobalsamum (L.)-R. Kaplan (Exodus 30:35): "Nataf in Hebrew. Some say that nataf denotes the wood of the balsam, rather than the sap (Ramban). Balsam is also known as tzori in Hebrew (see Genesis 37:25). It is derived from the balsam tree, C. opobalsamum, known as kataf in the Talmud, grows wild in Yemen & Mecca."[End Quote]. Mecca Myrrh is the opinion of Wikipedia Hebrew editors as well; Central issues is that incense had to be common in ancient Israel for regular use, though maybe the plant went extinct. But than how can one make the blessing "in our land"?

Historical Note: Commiphora opobalsamum, Mecca myrrh, was found in the Spice Cave, by the dead-sea scrolls. See: Preliminary Analysis of a "Red Material" - - Qumran Cave Project, 1992 , Marvin S. Antelman, Chemical Advisor.]

[C] Pistacia, Mastic, or Terebinth (Pistacia; Anacardiaceae)

[וכתב רש"י שנטף הוא הנקרא צרי והוא הנוטף מעצי הקטף][ובלע"ז קורין לו גומ"ה והנכון שהוא מסטצי"י]

In Arabic it is called dseri or dseru; similar to tsori. See Dioscorides' writings as πιστάκια ; pistákia, recognizable as P. vera by its comparison to pine nuts. [Balm of Gilead: P. atlantica; Iran-Saqqez]. The term "πιστάκια" refers to the mastic tree, scientifically known as Pistacia lentiscus. Pistacia lentiscus and its resin, known as mastic gum, hold significant historical importance. Dioscorides, in De Materia Medica, specifically references the mastic tree and the resin as being used for its medicinal properties, including as a treatment for gastrointestinal issues and respiratory conditions. This is also the opinion of Talmudic German translator Lazarus Goldschmidt; Sefaria T. Keritot 6a. ["Mastix"]

Terebinth: P. terebinthus; Genus: Pistacia. Septuagint translates [הַצֳּרִי֙] (Jer. 8:22) has ῥητίνη; Bochart (1667) maintained that it's rosin and gum drawn from the Terebinthus or turpentine tree. Pliny the Elder, 1st century A.D. Roman encyclopedist, devoted a good part of one of his books to the problem of preventing wine from turning to vinegar. Tree resins--pine, cedar, and often terebinth (which Pliny described as the "best and most elegant" resin)--were added to Roman wines.

Hebrew Tree name: אלה, elâh, may have also refereed to not just oak, but also for Pistacia (Judges 6:11; I Samuel 17:2; tree under which King Saul was buried; I Chronicles 10:12) termed "the great tree", "oak", and "terebinth". In Arabic, the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) is referred to as بطم (buṭm or buṭum).

Terebinth tree continues to be abundant in the Middle East, growing even in desert areas. The trees reach a very large size and can live up to one thousand years. The Atlantic Pistacia is the largest tree in Israel in recent history; a single tree can grow as much as 12 meters high, can yield up to 2 kilograms of resin.

Introduction: R. Aryeh Kaplan: Onycha Shecheleth in Hebrew. The Targum translates this as tufra, the Talmud as tziporen (Kerithoth 6a)...all denoting 'fingernail.'...most authorities see it as coming from an aquatic animal (Mossef HeArukh ibid.; Ramban). Other sources, however, state that shecheleth is a kind of root (Rashi). The Talmud also appears to indicate that it came from an annual plant (Kerithoth 6b). Some identify this plant with a species of rock-rose, Cistus ladaniferus, which has fingernail-like petals.

The onycha was rubbed with an alkali solution prepared from the bitter vetch (Vicia sativa) (cf. Rambam MS 2:4) to remove all impurities. It was then soaked in the fermented juice of the caper berry (Caparis spinosa) (see Tosafoth, Betza 25b, s.v. VeTzalaf) or strong white wine to enhance its fragrance (Kerithoth 6a; Yad, Kley HaMikdash 2:5). [End Quote]

[A] Cloves; See Jerusalem Talmud Yoma 4:5. Jerusalem Talmud, trans. & commentary by H.W. Guggenheimer:" HALAKHAH: The compounding of the incense: balsamum, and cloves, galbanum and frankincense..." See Bamidbar Rabbah 14 (4) [מַּסְמֵר] Jastrow: מַסְמָר (m.) (b. h. only in pl.; סָמַר) [2) (pl.) cloves. Num. R. l[4]. c. ערבין … כמ׳ נטועים as sweet to their hearers as cloves; clove was also called a 'goad' or a nail shape. The Torah words are compared to a goad, clove, nail etc. (Midrash id). Clove, first used in English in the 15th century, derives via Middle English clow of gilofer, from the Latin word clavus "nail". (Uchibayashi, M. (2001). "Etymology of clove".

Talmud: [הַנַּח לָהֶן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אִם אֵין נְבִיאִים הֵן — בְּנֵי נְבִיאִים הֵן] Tran.: "[L]eave it to the Jewish people; if they are not prophets, they are the sons of prophets..." (Pesachim 66a.) Blessing: Those who use cloves for the ritual of Havdalah make the blessing: [-״בּוֹרֵא עֲצֵי בְּשָׂמִים״-]; See Rashi on Berakhot 43a; Rashba id (citing Hai Gaon).

See Klein Dictionary , צִפֹּֽרֶן ᴵᴵ; m.n. PBH 1 Eugenia caryophylata [clove](botany).

Etymology (Wiki - Strong): Greek for Onycha (ὄνυξ) could mean:

1. White part at the end of rose-petals by which they are attached to the stalk, Dsc.1.99.

3. Operculum of the κογχύλιον [From Ancient Greek κογχύλιον (konkhúlion, “small mussel”)., Dsc.2.8, Gal.13.320, Orib.5.77.1, Paul.Aeg.7.3 ; of the πορφύρα, Dsc.Eup.2.92. [purple-fish, Murex trunculus]

R. Kaplan: "Onycha It is therefore usually identified as onycha...blatta byzantia (Abarbanel; Shiltey Gibborim [79], the fingernail-like operculum or closing flap of certain snails of the murex family, such as the Onyx marinus, Strombus lentiginosus, or Unguis Odaratus (Tifereth Yisrael, Chomer Bakodesh 2:67; Cf. Ben Sirah 24:15, Dioscorides, De Materia Medica 2:10). This emits a very pleasant smell when burned."

Unguis odoratus is a nail-like sweet marine shell which was a medicine "famous among the ancients, and used in considerable Quantity; The operculum can be found in those species of mollusks with the following taxonomic names: Strombus fusus, Strombus murex , Strombus lentiginosus. *Rambam Translation: [שחלת = ו[ְאַצְפַאר טִיב]. The Arabic term “azfar al-tibb” can be translated as sweet hoof, and is used to describe the operculum of Chicoreus ramosus (Murex inflatus) from Bahrain, which were reported to be the best for fumigation. See Mishneh Torah, Vessels of the Sanctuary. [Ramban: והשחלת צפורן יוצא מן הים]. A possible Hebrew word cognate is Techalet [[תכלת, the blue dye from another Murex].

[D]Labdanum: Saadia Gaon state that the mysterious שחלת (onycha) was labdanum. An ancient Ugaritic text lists onycha among types of vegetables. Note: Labdanum mixed with benzoin smells similar to ambergris. Ambroxide (Ambroxan), is a naturally occurring terpenoid and a key constituents responsible for the odor of ambergris (ambrein); which is from the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon). In Eastern cultures ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice; in the West it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes.

On (3) Ferula - Galbanum (חֶלְבְּנָה)*

[A] Ferula gummosa (Galbanum). Genus ferula is also Latin for fennel f. vulgare; Family: Apiaceae. Fennel was prized by the ancient Greeks & Romans who used it as medicine, food, and insect repellent. A fennel tea was believed to give courage to the warriors prior to battle.

Alternative: Ferula assa-foetida (Jastrow). Some think it smells bad. Talmud states that it symbolizes the sinners of Israel. (Keritot 6b). Maimonides calls it by its Arabic name, maiʻah, which is believed by most scholars to have been the reddish-brown resin of Ferula galbaniflua.

(4) Frankincense: (לְבוֹנָה); Boswellia resin. Boswellia resin contains incensole acetate (IA), a potent TRPV3 agonist. TRPV3 is an ion channel involved in the perception of warmth in the skin and is found in neurons throughout the brain.

Myrrh, as the name plainly suggests.

[ֹנטפ֖וֹת מ֥וֹר עֹבֵֽר׃; They drip flowing myrrh. (Songs 5:13)]

דְּרוֹר (n-m) heb

a flowing, free run, liberty / flowing (of myrrh) / liberty

[How this interrelates to Stache and Tzori is the debate.]

"According to many authorities, however, the mur here (exodus 30) is not myrrh but a sweet musk (Saadia; Yad, Kley HaMikdash 1:3; Abarbanel; cf. Radak, Sherashim; Ibn Janach). This is an extract taken from the musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) which lives in Nepal and Tibet (see Ibn Ezra)." - R. Aryeh Kaplan id.

[Rambam: Musk-Abelmoschus moschatus.]

המור הוא הדם הצרור בחיה שבהודו הידוע לכל שמתבשמין בה בני אדם בכ"מ

וְזֶהוּ שְׁמוֹת הַסַּמָּנִים בְּלָשׁוֹן עֲרָבִי. עוּד בְּלַסַאן וְאַצְפַאר טִיב. וּמִיעָה. וּלְכַאן. וּמוּסְקִי.

כׇּל הַמּוּגְמָרוֹת מְבָרְכִין עֲלֵיהֶן ״בּוֹרֵא עֲצֵי בְּשָׂמִים״ חוּץ מִמּוּשְׁק, שֶׁמִּין חַיָּה הוּא, שֶׁמְּבָרְכִין עָלָיו ״בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְּשָׂמִים״.

Tur HaArokh, Exodus 30:23:

מור דרור. כתב הרמב"ן הסכימו כל המפרשים שכל מור הוא מוסק והוא בא מחיה הידועה בארץ הודו ודומה לצבי ומתקבץ בצוארה מרוב החום כמין דם וזב ממנה ופי' דרור שיהי' נקי מן הזיוף שמזייפין אותו תמיד. ור' אברהם הקשה על זה כי איננו בושם אע"פ שריחו טוב ואפשר בעבור זה הפרידו הכתוב מן הבשמים:

מור דרור,

“pure myrrh, etc.” according to Nachmanides: all the scholars are agreed that the myrrh described here originates with a certain musk [animal] found in India, the animal is a variety of the family of deer. Near the neck of that animal a concentration of this musk is found, the reason it is accumulated there is the extremely hot climate in the regions where these animals abound. It oozes out of the pores of that animal.

[Ed Note: a possibility the myrrh-musk stated here refers to some plant similar to ambrette seeds, Abelmoschus moschatus, called musk mallow and known by many other names (in India, it is known as Mushkdana); or ferula moschata].

Cassia is also the translation of (קדה kiddah) in Exodus 30. Cassia is also the English common name Cinnamomum of the family Lauraceae. Because the name Cassia is not precise, it is sometimes difficult to know what is meant by references to plants known as "cassia".

Orris root: Root of the Sweet iris (Iris pallida; var. Iris illyrica).

Wiki: [Cinnamon] seems to be rejected by the translators of the Septuagint (LXX), on Exo. 30:24, [ἶρις (ἴρεως)] as well as by Josephus, who translated the Hebrew word קדה = "qidah" (cassia)...as ΊΡΕΩΣ, meaning "iris"[Josephus, Antiquities, bk 3, ch8, v3 (3.197).] Wiki: Etymology [ἶρις (ἴρεως]; from Latin īris (“rainbow”). Noun (botany) A plant of the genus Iris.

Once important in western herbal medicine, it is now used mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery...The most valued component of orris root is oil of orris, a yellow-white mass containing myristic acid. Its fragrance resembles that of violets. The ancient Greek botanist, Theophrastus, strengthens this notion, saying: “As to all the other fragrant plants used for aromatic odors...From Europe itself comes none of them except the iris.”

Ezekiel 27:19 refers to flora known as "cassia" and "calamus", saying of the city Tyre: “Dan and Grecia… occupied in your fairs: they have brought [therein] wrought iron; [also] cassia and calamus, were [put by them] in your market.” [עָשׁוֹת֙ קִדָּ֣ה וְקָנֶ֔ה]

R. Kaplan: The name "cassia", first recorded in late Old English from Latin, [may] derives from the Hebrew word q'tsīʿāh, a form of the verb qātsaʿ, "to strip off bark". The English word "cinnamon", attested in English since the 15th century, deriving from the Ancient Greek κιννάμωμον (kinnámōmon, later kínnamon), via Latin and medieval French intermediate forms. The Greek was borrowed from a Phoenician word, which was similar to the related Hebrew word קינמון (qinnāmōn). (Radak, Sherashim; Peshita; Vulgate). Kidah in Hebrew; ketzia in Aramaic (Targum; Rambam on Kelayim 1:8). Cassia is the common name for the bark of the tree Cinnamomum cassia or Cassia lignea belonging to the laurel family, which grows in China. (Pachad Yitzchak, s.v. Ketoreth; cf. Pliny 12:43; Theophrastus, History of Plants 9:7; Diodorus Siculus 3:46; Herodatus 3:110).

[C] Calamus: Talmud seems to support this view, saying that there are two types of קדה, one being a tree and the other being an herb. [Mishnah Kilayim 1:8].

The reed was found in the Ketoret by the dead-sea scrolls: “These root stocks are very fragrant with an odor similar to Cinnamon (Kinamon), hence, the oft associated phrase "bastard cinnamon." [Acorus calamus Cassia (English) or Ketzia (Hebrew) A grass of the Family Aracea.] - See: Preliminary Analysis of a "Red Material" - - Qumran Cave Project, 1992 , Marvin S. Antelman, Chemical Advisor.

See #10 & 11. [Ed Note: Certain that Calamus was in the Ketoret.]

[Alternative] Costus: Some identify the 'cassia' of the ancients, and kidah, with costus (Yad, Kley HaMikdash 1:3; Saadia; Ibn Janach; cf. Rashi) [ והקדה היא הקושט]. Costus is the root of the annual herb, Sausurea lappa [aka Dolomiaea costus], which grows on the mountain slopes of Kashmir, and is used for incense and perfume. Ed Note: See 9, the actual name is too similar for there to be a redundant entry.

See Song of Songs 1:12. Jastro: Valarian-like. Family: Caprifoliaceae; Subfamily: Valerianoideae [Valeriana; Valerians; Valerianella - 145 total species.] Valarian is a close relative to nardostachys. Nardostachys known in ancient times as "nard" and, later, as spikenard. Valerianaceae which gives rise to few herbal medicines; a third herb, patrinia, is used in Chinese medicine.

Krokos, Greece where it is grown; crocus flower. Saffron is from the Iris family (Iridaceae). Crocus or Krokus (Greek: Κρόκος)

כַּרְכּוֹם I, כַּרְקוֹם , m.(b. h. [paint,] crocus, saffron. Kerith. 6ᵃ; Y. Yoma IV, 41ᵈ (one of the ingredients of frankincense).—Nidd. II, 6 כקרן כ׳ of the color of the bright-colored crocus; expl. ib. 7 ברור שבו like the choicest of all (expl. ib. 20ᵃ as the middle leaf of the middle row); Y. ib. 50ᵇ top; Tosef. ib. III, 11; a. e.—Tosef. Kil. I, 1 כרקם ed. Zuck. (oth. ed. כרפס, corr. acc.).—[Ib. III, 12 ed. Zuck., v. כַּרְפַּס II.]—[Targ. Cant. II, 1 כרקום some ed., read: נַרְקִיס.]—Pl. כַּרְכְּמִין. Y. Maasr. V, end, 52ᵃ. Y. B. Bath. IX, end, 17ᵇ כּוּרְכְּמִין (Chald. form). [Jastrow] (Sanskrit kunkuma (कुनकुम) is saffron (Crocus sativus)).

On (9) Costus* {קושט} (12 maneh)

Costus speciosus: Even today the aromatic plant known as Saussurea lappa is called in Sanskrit "kustha," while in Tamalit, both, Saussurea lappa and Costus speciosus are called "kostam." Moreover, it is still used as an incense in India & China. Amar, Z. (2002, pp. 118)

Ed Intro: Some translate this as cinnamon. If one sees a picture of Saigon cinnamon, it looks like bark, which is the translation of [קילופה]; which brings us to the issue of what Cinnamon [קנמון] is, as its obviously not a duplicate. One theory is that [קנמון] refers to a chemical called Coumarin, which sounds similar; Coumarin comes also in a type of grass that goats would eat (though normally coumarin is an appetite suppressant so animals won't consume the plants.); [See Wiki Sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata) - Vanilla grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum] So its likely that 10 & 11 is a method of combination and perfumery.

Oil under the name "oud" or "oudh". In the Bible, "trees of aloes" are mentioned in Numbers 24:6; a perfume compounded of aloeswood, myrrh, and cassia is described in Psalms 45:9; In the bible, aholoth may have simply referred to “aloes-wood,” since in the Aramaic Targum of Songs 4:14 and Psalm 45:9, the translators write for אהלות‎ (aholoth) the Judeo-Aramaic word אַקסֵיל אִלוָאָן‎, which is a Greek loan-word used in the Aramaic; Aksil, meaning "wood," while alwa'an meaning "aloe." The best aloe was known by the ancients as Socotrine aloe, native to the island of Socotra, which happens to be the only aromatic "real" aloe. Rabbi Yonah ibn Ganah (c. 990CE) in his Sefer Ha-Shorashim, s.v. אהל‎, thought that the word "ohalim" in Numbers 24:6 meant sandalwood.

[Aloe perryi (syn. Aloe socotrina) is a species of plant in the genus Aloe. It is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen, and is often known by its common name, Socotrine aloe. [Confusion: Aloe succotrina, the Fynbos aloe, is an aloe which is endemic to Cape Town and the south-western corner of the Western Cape, South Africa.; This species has uses as a medicinal plant - BDB, אהל² 1. [Which also proposes cardamum.; [אֲהָלִים וְקִנָּמֽוֹן (משלי ז, יז) תרגום כוּרְקְמָא וְקוּנְמָא]; though see the entry on saffron for a possible mix-up.]

Ramban – קְנֵה־בֹ֖שֶׂם - Aromatic Cane - Calamus.

Ex 30:23. (aromatic cane.) Songs 4:14: [קָנֶה֙ וְקִנָּמ֔וֹן] Targum: [וּקְנֵי בּוּסְמָא וְקִנָּמוֹן]

"And the knei bosem is in my opinion the kilufhah mentioned by the Sages, called dratzini in Arabic, and so also in the language of the Gemara, which is a cane [of sweet spices] resembling reeds."

Calamus is derived from Greek κάλαμος (kálamos,"reed"), cognate to Latin culmus ("stalk") and Old English healm ("straw"), Arabic قَلَم‎‎ (qálam, "pen") and Sanskrit कलम (kalama, "reed used as a pen", in turn from Proto-Indo European *kole-mo- (thought to mean "grass" or "reed"). [Note] "sweet flag" refers to its sweet scent and its similarity to Iris species. [Talmud says we use Calamus to write the Torah. ]

Our regular cinnamon was also in the incense offering, but might have been known by the Sages under the name of "Qelufah" = קלופה; The word used by Israel's Sages to describe this קלופה = "qelufah," and by Maimonides as "qishr slaykha," or in Arabic, "al-qerfa," means Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia, syn. Cinnamomum aromaticum), or one of the species endemic to the Indian subcontinent (Cinnamomum tamala, or zeylanicum, syn. C. verum). RASHI, also calls "qelufah" cinnamon.

As its name clearly implies. Cinnamomum zeylanicum.

R. Haye Gaon (929-1028 CE) says that "qinnamon" is "darachini," a Persian loanword for our regular cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). The Persian loanword is, itself, borrowed from the Hindi, dālacīnī (Cinnamomum cassia). J.P. Margoliouth (1856) a world-renowned Syriac scholar brings down two definitions for ܩܘܢܡܘܢ / ܩܘܢܡܐ, namely, cinnamon and Styrax, respectively.

R' Aryeh Kaplan: (Rashi; Septuagint; Abarbanel, Canela in Spanish; Ibn Janach; Rambam on Kerithoth 1:1, but see Ramban on Exodus 30:34). Kinman in Hebrew. This is the dried bark of the cinnamon tree, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, a species of laurel cultivated mainly in Ceylon (cf. Yad, Kley HaMikdash 1:3; cf. Theophrastus, Plants 9:7; Herodatus 3:111).

R. Saadia Gaon (882-942 CE) says that "qinnamon" is "ṣandal," meaning, sandalwood (Santalum album), although he translates "qinna besem" in Exodus 30:23 as "al-oud al-ṭayyib," literally meaning "the aromatic wood," and often applied strictly to agarwood (Aquilaria agallocha; var. Aquilaria malaccensis).

​​​​​​​Ramban conjectures that the "qinnamon" may have been "iḏkhir" (Arabic: إِذخر), meaning, the Aromatic rush (Cymbopogon commutatus), also known as camel's hay. [Also mentioned by Ben-Sirach [?]]

Agarwood is believed to be the qinnamon of the Sages. Our regular cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) was also compounded in the incense offering, but it was known by the Sages under the name of "Qelufah" = קלופה

Ibn Ezra (1092-1167 CE) says that "qinnamon" is "ou[d]ṭayyib," an Arabic word, meaning, agarwood (Aquilaria agallocha). Zohar Amar seems to rely upon the 14th century Yemenite Jewish scholar, R. Nathanel b. Yeshaiah, who says: "Qinnamon is the wood that comes from the isles of India, which people use in incense, and whose fragrance is good. It is a wood which the merchants bring from the land of Java (i.e. Indonesia) and is called 'Java wood' (Arabic = oud Jawi)." Java wood is none other than Aloeswood (Aquilaria agallocha; var. Aquilaria malaccensis), or what is also called Agarwood. In the 15th century Hebrew-Arabic lexicon, "Al-Jāma',"believed to have been compiled by Rabbi David b. Yesha' al-Hamdi, he calls the "qinnamon" by the Arabic name "al-oud," meaning, Agarwood (Aquilaria agallocha), while the "qelufah" he calls "qishr slaykha" = our regular cinnamon.

Although there are many names given for agarwood in Sanskrit, one of the names given for this aromatic wood resin is लघुनामन् = laghunAman, a word which still carries the phonetic sound of "qinnamon." [?]

Both agarwood and its resin distillate/extracts are known as oud (عود) in Arabic (literally "rod/stick") and used to describe agarwood in Arab countries.[15] Western perfumers also often use agarwood essential oil under the name "oud" or "oudh".

שמות הסמני׳ בלשון ערבי נטף עו״ד פלסיו״ן שחלת אטפא״ר טי״ב. חלבנה טיע״ה. לבונה לובן. מור מסק קציעה סנב״ל אל נדרי״א. כרכו׳ זעפטר״ן. והקושט קוסט. קנמון עור. קלופה קשר סליכה. כפת הירדן ענבר. וקנמון אינה קאניל״א בלעז שהרי מקאניל״א יש הרבה ואילו מקנמון אומרי׳ פ׳ במה אשה [דס״ג] שנגנז ולא נשתייר מהם כי אם מעט ומשתכח בי גזא דצומצמאי מלכותא:

An adjunct to these eleven spices, although not numbered with the eleven, was a spice called in Hebrew Kipath Ha-Yarden, or what some translate as "Jordan amber", and which Maimonides calls in Arabic by the name al-anbar (ambergris).[36] There are varying opinions as to what this spice might have been. Some think, because of its name, that it was a rose that grew along the banks of the Jordan River.[37]

Others suggest that it was the sweet resin that exudes from the Storax tree (Styrax officinalis, syn. Liquidambar styraciflua) and which is native to Israel.[38][39] This was the view of S. Muntner who claims that only later, during the late Middle-Ages, the same name al-ʻanbar was applied also to ambergris which is washed ashore and used in perfumery. His opinion, however, is rejected by the fact that we find a 6th-century Greek reference to the use of ambergris, under the name of “ambra.”[40] See: Aëtius of Amida (502-575 CE), Tetrabiblos: Sixteen Books on Medicine, I.131. Ambergris figures largely in ancient records mentioning fragrances used in making perfumes and in burning incense.[41]

The most trustworthy tradition, that of Maimonides', avers that the Jordan amber was ambergris, or what is called in the Arabic tongue al-ʻanbar.[42] Although ambergris is produced in the digestive tract of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon; P. macrocephalus), it was believed by the ancients of Israel to be derived from a "sea-creature" which fed on an underwater aromatic tree, and which later it expectorated and was washed ashore. According to Al-Fasi’s medieval Judeo-Arabic dictionary, this very tree in the midst of the sea was called al-ʻanbar (ambergris), but in Hebrew is called aholoth.[43] This will explain why Rabbi Saadia Gaon (882‒942 CE) wrote in his Siddur (Siddur RSG, p. 93) that the blessing over the fragrance known as ʻanbar is “[Blessed are you, O Lord, etc.] who creates fragrant trees,” meaning, al-ʻanbar was considered the product of a tree.[44] Rabbeinu Chananel, echoing these sentiments, thought that al-ʻanbar came from the digestive tract of a fish.[45] Rabbi Saadia Gaon, in his Judeo-Arabic translation on Song of Songs 4:14, and on Psalm 45:9 and Proverbs 7:17, translates the Hebrew word aholoth in all places as ‘anbar (ambergris).

Amount: (1/4-kav.)

Not a true ingredient. Some suggest that it may have been the plant Leptadenia pyrotechnia which contains nitric acid. Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 8, Third Printing, Jerusalem 1974, p. 1316. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz identifies this species as the ma'aleh ashan; which was part of the incense offered daily by the priests in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The shrub was known for its flammability, so adding it to the incense ensured that the smoke would rise perfectly vertically. - Steinsaltz, Adin (1998). Talmud Bavli - Yoma.