STACTE

Stacte drops (Heb., na·taphʹ) were one of the ingredients of the incense limited to sacred use. (Ex 30:34) The related verb form means “drip.” (Jg 5:4) The Greek Septuagint rendered this word sta·kteʹ, meaning “oil of myrrh,” from the Greek verb staʹzo, “drip.” Thus the Hebrew and Greek terms indicate that this was a balsam that drips from resinous trees. The Latin Vulgate rendered the word stacte.

The specific tree yielding stacte is uncertain. Among the sources that have been suggested are the Oriental sweet gum tree (Liquidambar orientalis) and the mastic pistacia bush (Pistacia lentiscus).