רַקּוּחַ

# Raqquach: An Ancient Hebrew Term for Perfumery The Hebrew word *raqquach* (רַקּוּחַ) refers to perfumery—the craft or practice of creating fragrances and aromatic preparations. Based on the lexical data, this noun appears only once in the biblical text, suggesting it represents a specialized or technical term rather than a common everyday word. Its singular occurrence limits our ability to observe variation in usage or context, but the definition itself indicates this was a recognized profession or craft in ancient Hebrew society. The rarity of this term in the biblical corpus indicates that while perfume-making was practiced in ancient Israel and the Near East, explicit references to the perfumer's art were infrequent in biblical literature. The word's existence as a distinct lexical item demonstrates that ancient Hebrew had specialized vocabulary for skilled trades and crafts, reflecting a society with developed commercial and artisanal practices. Without additional contextual occurrences in the biblical text, the precise scope of what activities fell under *raqquach*—whether it encompassed mixing, blending, storing, or selling of perfumes—cannot be definitively determined from the data provided.