A sweet-smelling, flowering shrub mentioned in Song of Songs 1:14 and 4:13. In older Bible translations like the King James Version, the Hebrew word kopher was translated as "camphire." But scholars today agree it refers to the henna plant (Lawsonia inermis).
Henna is native to northern India and grows wild in the Sudan, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel and the surrounding areas. It grows between 1.2 to 3.7 meters (4 to 12 feet) tall. Its fragrance is similar to that of roses.
People have used henna for beauty purposes since ancient times. To prepare it, the leaves are dried and crushed into a powder, then mixed with water to make a paste. This paste creates a bright yellow, orange, or red color that was used to dye fingernails, toenails, fingertips, palms of hands, and soles of feet. Henna was especially used by young girls. Men also used henna to color their beards, and it was used on the manes and tails of horses. The color would last for two or three weeks before needing to be applied again.
Archaeologists have discovered Egyptian mummies decorated with henna. The use of henna as a cosmetic was common in Egypt during the time the Israelites were slaves there, so they would have been familiar with it.