Ониха

Overview

Onycha is one of the four ingredients of the sacred incense described in Exodus 30:34, alongside galbanum, frankincense, and stacte. Its identity is still not determined with absolute certainty. The Hebrew word shecheleth was rendered in Greek as onycha, which means fingernail or claw. Shecheleth is related to the Syriac shehelta, which is translated as a tear, distillation, or exudation. In the Talmudic recipe, onycha is one of four ingredients that each weigh seventy mina and each make up 19.02% of the total weight.

The operculum of sea snails

Some writers believe that onycha was the fingernail-like operculum, or trap door, of certain sea snails, such as Strombus lentiginosus, Murex anguliferus, and Onyx marinus. In regions near the Middle East, the opercula of the conches Strombus tricornis and Lambis truncata sebae are the ones most commonly used as an incense material. Whelk opercula are a protein exudation, similar to fingernails. Burning whelk opercula releases aromatic phenols, and chlorinated phenols that have a medicinal scent at very low concentrations were also detected in the smoke. The biblical onycha cannot be conclusively identified without original samples for comparative analysis.

The main argument against the operculum is that the mollusk was counted among the unclean animals in the Bible (Leviticus 11:9 and 12). The Muricidae, or murex, were highly regarded as a source of Tyrian purple and tekhelet. Purple and blue dyed yarn is prescribed for use in the tabernacle and in garments worn by high priests.

Labdanum

Labdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Cistus ladanifer (gum rockrose, western Mediterranean) and Cistus creticus (pink rockrose, eastern Mediterranean). The Arabic version renders shecheleth as ladana, while the Septuagint renders it as onycha. H. J. Abrahams states that, after weighing the other options, there is little doubt that the onycha of Exodus 30:34 is labdanum. The rock rose bears flowers widely noted for the markings upon its petals resembling human fingernails. The Syriac sense of the word, to run in drops, exude or distil, has been taken to point to a resinous and odoriferous substance of the plant kingdom.

Benzoin and other candidates

The scholar Bochart stated, at one point in his research, that onycha was actually benzoin, a gum-resin from the Styrax species. Benzoin is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. Benzoin also serves as a flavoring in drinks with and without alcohol, baked goods, chewing gum, frozen dairy products, gelatins, puddings and soft candy. Onycha is among the common names of the tree Styrax benzoin, a species native to Indochina and western Malesia. Lesser recognized contenders include bdellium, gum tragacanth, cloves, amber, cuttlefish bone and spikenard.

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Related: Aldambre · Ambrarome · Ambrein · Ambreine · Ambrettolide · Ambronova · Ammonia · Animal Notes