H2590a H2590a
To embalm (a corpse with spices); to ripen or spice (of fruit)
This verb bridges the worlds of death and harvest. In Genesis 50:2 and 50:26, it describes the Egyptian practice of embalming—Joseph commands the physicians to embalm his father Jacob, and Joseph himself is later embalmed. The process involved aromatic spices, which connects to the verb's other sense: in Song of Songs 2:13, the fig tree 'spices' or ripens its early fruit, evoking the fragrant sweetness of maturing figs. Spanish 'embalsamar' and 'ha madurado' (has ripened) neatly capture both domains. Arabic cognates confirm the shared semantic thread of spicing and preparation.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To embalm a corpse using aromatic spices, following Egyptian funerary practice. Genesis 50:2 records Joseph commanding physicians to embalm Jacob, and Genesis 50:26 notes Joseph's own embalming. Spanish 'embalsamaron' and German 'einbalsamieren' reflect this mortuary sense directly. The underlying idea is the application of preservative spices. In Song of Songs 2:13 the same root describes the fig tree ripening or 'spicing' its early fruit, a seasonal image of fragrant maturation. Spanish 'ha madurado' (has ripened) and French 'a mûri' capture this agricultural extension, showing how the root's core meaning of 'spicing' branches into both funerary and botanical usage. 4×
AR["حَنْطَه", "فَحَنَّطَ", "فَحَنَّطُوهُ", "لِيُحَنِّطُوا"]·ben["আর-তাকে-সুগন্ধি-করল", "আর-সুগন্ধি-করল", "পাকিয়েছে", "সুগন্ধি-করতে"]·DE["[חנטה]", "einzubalsamieren", "und-es-balsamierten-ein", "und-sie-balsamierten-ein"]·EN["and-embalmed", "ripened", "to-embalm"]·FR["a-mûri", "et-embauma", "à-embalm"]·heb["ו-יחנטו", "חנטה", "ל-חנט"]·HI["और-सुगंधित-किया", "और-सुगंधित-किया-उन्होंने", "को-सुगंधित-करने", "पकाई"]·ID["dan-membalsem", "telah-mengeluarkan", "untuk-membalsem"]·IT["a-embalm", "e-embalmed", "ripened"]·jav["Lajeng-ngawetaken", "kangge-ngawetaken", "lajeng-ngawetaken", "sampun-meteng"]·KO["그리고-방부하였다", "에-방부하기", "익었네"]·PT["amadureceu", "e-embalsamaram", "para-embalsamar"]·RU["забальзамировать", "и-забальзамировали", "созревает"]·ES["ha-madurado", "para-embalsamar", "y-embalsamaron", "y-lo-embalsamaron"]·SW["akamtoa-kwa-heri", "umeiva", "ya-kufa"]·TR["mumyalamak-için", "olgunlastirdi", "ve-mumyaladılar"]·urd["اور-حنوط-کیا", "اور-حنوط-کیا-گیا", "حنوط-کرنے-کے-لیے", "پکائے"]
Related Senses
H8081 1. oil (substance) (180×)H3196 1. wine (fermented grape juice) (141×)H1706 1. honey (54×)H4682 1. unleavened bread/cakes (53×)H2461 1. milk (42×)H8492 1. new wine / must (38×)H0400 1. food, nourishment (36×)G3631 1. wine (34×)H3978 1. food, nourishment (30×)H1314 1. spice / perfume / balsam (29×)H7416 1. pomegranate (fruit/ornament) (28×)H3323 1. fresh oil, olive oil (23×)H2964 1. prey, torn flesh (19×)H3899 2. food, sustenance (19×)G1033 1. food (17×)G5160 1. food (16×)H5561 1. spices, aromatic substances (16×)H0402 1. food, nourishment (14×)G2219 1. leaven (13×)H4478a 1. manna (13×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חָנַט vb. spice, make spicy, embalm (NH id., bud, blossom; Arabic حَنَطَ become mature, ii. prepare for burial, حَنُوطٌ spices for a corpse; حَنَّاطٌ embalmer, Dozyi, 322 after PS1320; Aramaic ܚܢܰܛ, חֲנַט embalm; so Ethiopic ሐነጠ (loan-word Di110));— Qal Pf. 3 fs. הָֽנְטָה Ct 2:13; Impf. 3 mpl. וַיַּחַנְטוּ Gn 50:2, 26; Inf. cstr. לַחֲנֹט Gn 50:2;— 1. spice, make spicy הַתְּאֵנָה ח׳ פַגֶּיהָ Ct…