בְּדוֹלַח (bedolach) — crystal / (original) bdellium resin
Etymology
The word בדולח is one of Hebrew's most intriguing etymological detours: an Akkadian word for a fragrant resin that traveled into biblical Hebrew, lost its meaning in the medieval period, was incorrectly identified as crystal by Rashi, and then entered modern Hebrew in that mistaken meaning — which is now standard.
Among the cuneiform tablets in the library of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (7th century BCE, excavated near Mosul) are records of aromatic resins brought as tribute, including one called budulhu. This word is not Akkadian or Sumerian in origin; where the Assyrians borrowed it from is unknown. Hebrew received the word from Akkadian, probably via Aramaic. It appears twice in the Torah: in Genesis 2:12 among the precious things of the land of Havilah ("וְהַבְּדֹלַח וְאֶבֶן הַשֹּׁהַם"), and in Numbers 11:7 describing the appearance of manna ("וְעֵינוֹ כְּעֵין הַבְּדֹלַח").
Ancient authorities knew what bdellium was. The Greek translators of the Torah (Septuagint, last centuries BCE) rendered it bdéllion, and Roman writers like Pliny confirm it was the resin of certain Commiphora trees. Josephus (1st century CE) also identified it as this resin. But by the 4th century CE, the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 16:2) records a dispute, with one opinion identifying it as a substance used by incense-makers and the majority ruling it is a gemstone. This signals the breakdown of the living tradition.
In the medieval period two competing wrong identifications emerged: Saadia Gaon (882–942) identified בדולח as a pearl, and was followed by major Spanish authorities including Samuel HaNagid, Jonah ibn Janah, Judah Halevi, and Isaac Abravanel. Rashi (1040–1105), however, identified it as "a precious stone, crystal" — and was followed by French and Ashkenazi authorities including Joseph Colon, Isaac Caro, and Meir ibn Aldabi. When the Haskalah began in 18th-century Germany, its pioneers followed Rashi: Aaron Gumpertz (1765), Baruch Linda (1788), and Judah Leib Ben-Ze'ev (1807) all used בדולח as the Hebrew for "crystal." Early modern Hebrew speakers followed suit, and the meaning is now fixed.
Key Quotes
"וּזְהַב הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא טוֹב שָׁם הַבְּדֹלַח וְאֶבֶן הַשֹּׁהַם" — Genesis 2:12
"וְהַמָּן כִּזְרַע גַּד הוּא וְעֵינוֹ כְּעֵין הַבְּדֹלַח" — Numbers 11:7
Timeline
- 7th century BCE: budulhu recorded in Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh
- Last centuries BCE: Septuagint translates בדולח as bdéllion; ancient meaning preserved
- 1st century CE: Josephus identifies בדולח as Commiphora resin
- Early 4th century CE: Midrash records dispute; majority opinion wrongly identifies it as gemstone
- 882–942: Saadia Gaon identifies בדולח as pearl; Spanish tradition follows
- 1040–1105: Rashi identifies בדולח as crystal; Ashkenazi tradition follows
- 1765: Aaron Gumpertz uses בדולח = crystal in Hebrew scientific writing
- 1788: Baruch Linda uses it in his translated textbook Reshit Limudim
- 1807: Judah Leib Ben-Ze'ev cements בדולח = crystal in his dictionary
- Modern Hebrew: בדולח universally means crystal/glass
Related Words
- זְכוּכִית — glass (the common word; from Hebrew root ז.כ.כ, clear/pure)
- קְרִיסְטַל — crystal (the European loanword, also used in Hebrew)
- בַּדֶּלִּיּוֹן — bdellium (the Greek/Latin scientific term, borrowed from the same Akkadian root)