7548. raqqachah
Lexical Summary
raqqachah: Perfume, ointment, or spice mixture

Original Word: רַקָּחָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: raqqachah
Pronunciation: rak-kaw-khaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (rak-kaw-khaw')
KJV: confectioner
NASB: perfumers
Word Origin: [feminine of H7547 (רַקּוַּח - perfumes)]

1. a female perfumer

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
confectioner

Feminine of raqquach; a female perfumer -- confectioner.

see HEBREW raqquach

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from raqach
Definition
(female) ointment maker, perfumer
NASB Translation
perfumers (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[רקָּחָה] noun feminine (female) ointment-maker, perfumer; — plural רַקָּחוֺת 1 Samuel 8:13 (+ טַבָּחוֺת, אֹפוֺת).

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Context

The feminine noun רַקָּחָה appears once in the Old Testament, in 1 Samuel 8:13, within Samuel’s warning about the demands of an earthly monarchy: “He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers”. The verse foreshadows how Israel’s future kings would requisition skilled labor for palace and temple service. The term identifies women drafted to compound fragrant substances—an occupation both practical and ceremonial.

Perfumery in the Ancient Near East

Perfume making required specialized knowledge of spices, gums, resins, and oils imported from Arabia, India, and Africa. Workers ground aromatics with mortars, infused them in olive or sesame oil, and stored the mixtures in alabaster or stone jars. These products served three main purposes:

1. Personal adornment and hygiene (Proverbs 27:9).
2. Embalming and burial honors (2 Chronicles 16:14; John 19:39).
3. Sacred worship, as in the holy anointing oil and incense prescribed in Exodus 30:22-38.

Because Israel lay on major trade routes, perfumers thrived in urban centers such as Jerusalem. Their craft, regulated under royal authority, contributed to both palace prestige and temple ritual.

The Role of Perfumers in Israel

Although רַקָּחָה designates female craftworkers in 1 Samuel 8:13, parallel passages use the masculine form רֹקֵחַ. Together they reveal a recognized guild:

Exodus 30:25-35 – Bezalel and the perfumer prepare sacred anointing oil and incense.
1 Chronicles 9:30 – Levites are “entrusted with mixing the spices.”
Nehemiah 3:8 – Goldsmiths and perfumers help rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, showing civic responsibility beyond their trade.

The skill’s inclusion among Levitical duties shows its theological importance: precise aromas symbolized holiness and divine pleasure (Exodus 30:37-38).

Spiritual Lessons and Canonical Connections

1. Kingship’s Cost: Samuel’s warning highlights that human authority extracts service that God never demanded. The contrast underscores Yahweh’s benevolence and Israel’s later longing for the true King (Psalm 45:7).
2. Aroma of Devotion: New Testament writers adopt fragrance imagery to describe obedient believers. “For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15). The Old Covenant perfumer foreshadows the believer’s priestly calling to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere.
3. Corruption vs. Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 10:1 reminds that “dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink,” teaching how a small folly mars honorable reputation. The craft thus becomes a moral metaphor.

Application for Ministry Today

• Worship Planning: Understanding biblical fragrance underscores the sensory richness God endorsed for worship. Churches may draw on this principle by thoughtfully integrating beauty, order, and symbolism.
• Vocational Calling: רַקָּחָה affirms that technical skills—including those practiced by women—serve God’s kingdom when offered in holiness.
• Leadership Warnings: Samuel’s prophecy cautions against leaders who exploit gifts rather than cultivate them, prompting accountability in church governance.

Key Passages for Further Study

Exodus 30:25-38; Exodus 37:29; 1 Samuel 8:13; 1 Chronicles 9:30; Nehemiah 3:8; Ecclesiastes 10:1; 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Forms and Transliterations
לְרַקָּח֥וֹת לרקחות lə·raq·qā·ḥō·wṯ lerakkaChot ləraqqāḥōwṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Samuel 8:13
HEB: בְּנוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם יִקָּ֑ח לְרַקָּח֥וֹת וּלְטַבָּח֖וֹת וּלְאֹפֽוֹת׃
NAS: your daughters for perfumers and cooks
KJV: your daughters [to be] confectionaries, and [to be] cooks,
INT: your daughters take perfumers and cooks and bakers

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7548
1 Occurrence


lə·raq·qā·ḥō·wṯ — 1 Occ.

7547
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