Home›Open Questions›What was shecheleth, the third ingredient of the Temple incense (ketoret) that the Septuagint renders onycha?Open QuestionsWhat was shecheleth, the third ingredient of the Temple incense (ketoret) that the Septuagint renders onycha?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "What was shecheleth, the third ingredient of the Temple incense (ketoret) that the Septuagint renders onycha?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/what-was-shecheleth-the-third-ingredient-of-the-temple-incense-ketoret-that-the-septuagint-renders-onycha.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). What was shecheleth, the third ingredient of the Temple incense (ketoret) that the Septuagint renders onycha?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/what-was-shecheleth-the-third-ingredient-of-the-temple-incense-ketoret-that-the-septuagint-renders-onychaCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-what-was-shecheleth-the-third-ingredient, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {What was shecheleth, the third ingredient of the Temple incense (ketoret) that the Septuagint renders onycha?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/what-was-shecheleth-the-third-ingredient-of-the-temple-incense-ketoret-that-the-septuagint-renders-onycha}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionThe Hebrew shecheleth of Exodus 30:34 is rendered onycha, fingernail, in the Septuagint. The leading identification is the operculum of a marine gastropod, which fits the sense, a nail-like hard plate, and the ancient aromatics trade. Benzoin, labdanum and rockrose are proposed plant alternatives but fit neither the sense nor the trade as well. A non-kosher animal product in the sacred incense is a live halakhic difficulty, which is the main reason the operculum identification is resisted by some commentators rather than for philological reasons. No reconstruction of the ketoret can be made without settling this, and it has not been settled.What would resolve this A residue analysis of an incense deposit from a securely dated Second Temple period altar or vessel, compared chemically against operculum keratin and against the candidate plant resins, would settle which substance was actually burned.OpenArchaeochemistry, biblical studiesMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Encyclopedia of ReligionCross-Tradition ConnectionsDiscipline NeededArchaeochemistry, Scholarly Disciplines Well-attested Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)tier 1Biblical Studies, Scholarly Disciplines Well-attested Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)tier 1Question OnOnycha, Incense Well-attested Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)tier 1SourcesEncyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year