Apothecary

Apothecary, rendered “perfumer” in the Revised Version and modern translations, designates the craftsman who prepared the sacred anointing oil and incense prescribed by Mosaic law for use in the tabernacle and temple. The Hebrew roqeach describes one skilled in compounding aromatic substances, and the office appears in Exodus 30:25, 35 and 37:29 in connection with the precise formulas given to Moses for the holy oil and incense. Ecclesiastes 10:1 employs the related term to note that dead flies corrupt the perfumer's ointment, illustrating how small corruptions spoil what is excellent.

The daughter of Shallum is among those described as helping repair the Jerusalem wall under Nehemiah (Neh. 3:8), and a guild of apothecaries is mentioned in 1 Samuel 8:13 among the royal household servants Solomon would require. The preparation of sacred aromatics demanded specialized knowledge of imported spices and resins, including myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and calamus, and the prohibition against replicating the holy oil for personal use (Exod. 30:32–33) underlines the consecrated character of the apothecary's work in the cultic context.