The plant name cannabis is a Scythian word, which loaned into Persian as kanab, then into Greek as κάνναβις (kánnabis) and subsequently into Latin as cannabis. The ancient Greeks learned of the … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Etymology_of_cannabis
Etymology of cannabis - Wikipedia
May 26, 2025 - The plant name cannabis is a Scythian word, which loaned into Persian as kanab, then into Greek as κάνναβις (kánnabis) and subsequently into Latin as cannabis. The ancient Greeks learned of the use of cannabis by observing Scythian funerals, during which cannabis was consumed.
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Stack Exchange
christianity.stackexchange.com › questions › 92560 › what-do-christians-believe-kaneh-bosem-translates-to
translation - What do Christians believe Kaneh Bosem translates to? - Christianity Stack Exchange

Lest any Cannabis lovers get too excited, the qâneh portion of this compound phrase seems to indicate the stem or stalk of a reed-like plant:

Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions

  1. reed, stalk, bone, balances 1a) stalk 1b) water-plant, reed 1c) calamus (aromatic reed)

If anyone has ever seen a full grown Cannabis plant it is difficult to imagine calling it a reed. It really looks more like a bush than anything. Cannabis is the top picture and Calamagrostis/Reed Grass is on the bottom.

If Cannabis is in view here (which seems unlikely) it would be specifically referring to the stalk of the plant and not the leaves or buds. The stalk or stem of Cannabis contains very little, if any, of CBD, THC, or any of the "desired" chemical compounds.

This is not to downplay the medicinal uses of the Cannabis plant but only to say it was unlikely to have been used in the concoction of Holy Anointing Oil for temple use. After all, why rub the Ark of the Covenant, the altar, the candlesticks, etc. with medicinal or psychotropic compounds?

Additionally, even if Cannabis is the referenced plant, the items to be used in temple worship and indeed the priesthood and the very temple itself are rendered obsolete by the advent of the Christ to whom it all pointed.

Christians do not make use of "holy anointing oil" to sanctify either items or people. Sanctification under the New Covenant is the work of the Holy Spirit. No Cannabis needed.

Answer from Mike Borden on christianity.stackexchange.com
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Civilizationorbarbarism
civilizationorbarbarism.com › 2013 › 03 › 02 › cannabis-or-kaneh-bolsem-in-the-bible
Cannabis or Kaneh-Bosm in the Bible – Civilization or Barbarism
August 29, 2021 - 2. Song of Songs 4:14 יד נֵרְדְּ וְכַרְכֹּם, קָנֶה וְקִנָּמוֹן, עִם, כָּל-עֲצֵי לְבוֹנָה; מֹר, וַאֲהָלוֹת, עִם, כָּל-רָאשֵׁי בְשָׂמִים.
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Textkit Greek and Latin Forums
textkit.com › textkit community › open board
Kaneh-bosem - Open Board - Textkit Greek and Latin
January 30, 2004 - A trivial question(actually, two questions) for who speaks or knows Hebrew quite much. I’m curious because modern Hebrew is said to be a rebuilt language. Modern Hebrew-English dictionary has Kaneh-bos as hemp. And there’s a web site that says the Kaneh-bosem in Ex.
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B-Hebrew
bhebrew.biblicalhumanities.org › board index › other › etymological & lexicographic approaches to the hebrew bible
Cannabis/Cannabos/kaneh Bosem - B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum
Is the word Cannabis related with the Hebrew Kaneh Bosem? Did the ancient israelites use the oil of the cannabis? Thank you very much for your responses. David Sevilla ... The problem with this is that the -is ending (Gk. kannabis, Lat. cannabis) is particular to these languages. In its other occurrences in other Indo-European languages, it doesn't have this ending. But of course this consonant is integral to the Hebrew, as part of בֶּשֶׂם. It has to be a false cognate, as both קָנֶה ...
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Delta-8 in Michigan
komornlaw.com › home › kaneh bosm: the hidden story of cannabis in the old testament
Kaneh Bosm: The Hidden Story of Cannabis in the Old Testament
January 12, 2024 - This topic may be a little controversial, but I think it is an important one as a lot of people have asked me over the years if the Hebrew phrase קנה בשם (qaneh bosem, often spelled kaneh bosem), translated as “aromatic cane” in the verse above, is a Biblical Hebrew phrase for cannabis, ...
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The Times of Israel
blogs.timesofisrael.com › home › cannabis and the joys of biblical hebrew!
The Blogs: Cannabis and the joys of biblical Hebrew! | Michoel Green | The Times of Israel
March 8, 2019 - And קנבוס actually comes from the ancient Biblical term, “קנה בשם” (“KaNeH BoSeM”), one of the ingredients of the anointing oil delineated in Exodus 30:23!
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/academicbiblical › could the hebrew word kaneh actually be cannabis, and not calamus?
r/AcademicBiblical on Reddit: Could the hebrew word kaneh actually be cannabis, and not calamus?

Here is a recent discussion on this from a few months ago: https://old.reddit.com/r/AcademicBiblical/comments/xoabeg/qanehbosm_possible_mistranslation/

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Cannabis Culture
cannabisculture.com › home › kaneh bosm: cannabis in the old testament
Kaneh Bosm: Cannabis in the Old Testament | Cannabis Culture
December 14, 2012 - Benet demonstrated that the word for cannabis is kaneh-bosm, also rendered in traditional Hebrew as kaneh or kannabus.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Holy_anointing_oil
Holy anointing oil - Wikipedia
1 month ago - Sula Benet, in Early Diffusion and Folk Uses of Hemp (1967), identified it as cannabis. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan notes that "On the basis of cognate pronunciation and Septuagint readings, some identify Keneh bosem with the English and Greek cannabis, the hemp plant."
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Quora
quora.com › Was-the-Kaneh-bosem-referred-to-in-Exodus-as-an-ingredient-in-the-anointing-oil-really-cannabis
Was the Kaneh-bosem referred to in Exodus as an ingredient in the anointing oil, really cannabis? - Quora
Answer (1 of 16): The etymology of “kaneh-bosm” means reed or hemp, and aromatic, respectively. It is entirely possible that the anointing oil was cannabis. It has been proposed that cannabis existed in Egypt 3000 years prior to what can be tracked with radiocarbon dating.
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Quora
quora.com › If-Kaneh-Bosm-was-actually-cannabis-would-that-explain-many-of-Jesuss-miracles-when-anointing-with-the-holy-oil
If Kaneh Bosm was actually cannabis would that explain many of Jesus's miracles when anointing with the holy oil? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Could be. Probably not. What I find interesting about this particular theory (that cannabis was in some way used in ancient Jewish and/or Christian practices) is that the Bible is very clear about plenty of other things being used (benign or not) in various miracles, so why would...
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Stack Exchange
hermeneutics.stackexchange.com › questions › 21131 › is-there-any-evidence-that-knei-bosem-is-cannabis-or-ganja
word study - Is there any evidence that 'knei bosem' is cannabis or ganja? - Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange

Is there any evidence that this phrase should be translated 'ganja'?

No.

Exodus 30:23 (ESV) reads:

Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane (qənêh-bōśem)

The OP points out:

there is a speculation that kaneh bosem is a plural form of kaneh bos.

This is based, presumably, on a misunderstanding of the ending em on bōśem. This is superficially similar to the masculine plural -ı̂m ending in Hebrew. However, the term qənêh-bōśem is singular (i.e. 250 shekels-worth of q-). The letter m is part of the root bśm.1 The word qənêh- (spelled qāneh when alone) is a common term for "cane" or "reed". The phrase, then, is literally "cane of spice". The second noun bōśem is taken attributively, hence "fragrant cane". "Bos" means nothing in this context.2

As for the actual plant referred to in Exodus, I will believe William Propp's account:

fragrant cane. Qənē(h) bōśem is also called qāne(h) haṭṭôb ‘the sweet cane’ (Jer 6:20; cf. Akkadian qanû ṭābu) and simply qāne(h) 'cane' (Isa 43:24; Ezek 27:19). Although reeds are found in Israel itself, it is clear from the prophets that this special cane, like frankincense, was imported "from a distant land." Of various grasses valued in Antiquity for their aromatic essences...the variety most familiar to my readers will be East Asian "lemongrass."

Propp equates the terms bōśem and beśem earlier in the verse (there constructed with "cinnamon"). The emphasis is on their fragrance; there is no evidence of psychedelic properties attributed these plants in the Exodus account.


1. Were it plural, it would be bəśāmı̂m.
2. The etymologically related botanical term is is not cannabis but balsam.

Answer from Susan on hermeneutics.stackexchange.com
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Salt Baked City
saltbakedcity.com › home › article › sensi in scripture: the curious case of calamus in the hebrew bible
Sensi in Scripture: The Curious Case of Calamus in the Hebrew Bible - Salt Baked City News
August 10, 2023 - It states “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus” (NIV translation). The word calamus is likely the incorrect translation of the ancient Hebrew word קנה בשם (kaneh bosem).
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Amazon
amazon.com › ask › questions › Tx2UG9RL9IN07K2
Amazon.com: Customer Questions & Answers
Exo 30:23 TakeH3947 thouH859 also ... H1314 בֹּשֶׂם בֶּשֶׂם beśem bôśem beh'-sem, bo'-sem From the same as H1313; fragrance; by implication spicery; also the balsam plant: - smell, spice, sweet (odour). Total KJV occurrences: 29 H7070 קָנֶה qâneh kaw-neh' ...
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Oklahoma State University
video.okstate.edu › media › Kaneh+Bosm+and+SomaA+The+Archeology+of+Cannabis+in+Ancient+Religious+Rituals+ › 1_n4tt857k › 87592701
Kaneh Bosm and Soma: The Archeology of Cannabis in Ancient Religious Rituals - Video | Oklahoma State University
In this presentation, Chris Bennett will explore the archeological evidence for the ritual use of cannabis in the ancient world, beginning over 5,000 years ago, and continuing for thousands of years. Evidence indicates that cannabis was an ingredient in the original Vedic Soma, and the Temple ...
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The Guardian
theguardian.com › world › 2003 › jan › 06 › science.religion
Jesus 'healed using cannabis' | World news | The Guardian
October 18, 2022 - Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.