Category:Bdellium

Bdel"lium, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. ; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).]

1. An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls, or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia.

2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa.

Note: Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxb. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian, etc.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Bdellium - Occurs only in Genesis 2:12, where it designates a product of the land of Havilah; and in Numbers 11:7, where the manna is likened to it in color. It was probably an aromatic gum like balsam which exuded from a particular tree (Borassus flabelliformis) still found in Arabia, Media, and India. It bears a resemblance in color to myrrh. Others think the word denotes "pearls," or some precious stone.