perfumers

Traders who compounded and dispensed a variety of aromatic substances. Perfumers played an important role in ancient Israel, where the aromatic oils and incense they compounded were required for religious as well as cosmetic and medicinal use, including embalming (2Chr 16:14). The holy anointing oil and the incense used in the tabernacle were the work of such perfumers (Exod 30:25; Exod 30:35; Exod 37:29), who constituted a recognized guild in postexilic times (Neh. 3:8; TEV: “a maker of perfumes”), drawn from priestly families (1Chr 9:30). Perfumers are also mentioned in the royal household, as a class of female servants alongside cooks and bakers (1Sam 8:13).