Stacte

Stacte (Hebrew: nataph, meaning a drop or to distil) was one of the four aromatic ingredients of the sacred incense burned on the golden altar in the tabernacle (Ex. 30:34). The Revised Version margin suggests it may be opobalsamum — the gum from the balsam tree — while other identifications propose myrrh, storax, or labdanum (the gum of the rock-rose). The Hebrew root's connection to dripping or distilling suggests a resinous substance that seeped naturally from the tree.

The incense of Exodus 30 was to be made exclusively for the worship of God — any unauthorized production for personal use was punishable by being cut off from the people (Ex. 30:38). Stacte's inclusion in this sacred formula ensured that it, like the other ingredients, was consecrated entirely to the service of God's presence in the tabernacle.