Cinnamon

True Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum (or Cinnamomum zeylanicum) is a tree found mostly in Sri Lanka, India, and Burma. The Hebrew word qinnamon may ultimately derive from an early form of the Malaysian/Indonesian expression kayumanis, meaning “sweet wood.” As in the case of cassia, there is debate about whether the cinnamon mentioned in the Old Testament could have been imported from the Far East or whether there was perhaps a spice from Arabia or Africa that was named qinnamon, because this name was known at the time of writing. Some scholars believe that there was trade between India and Egypt as early as the second millennium B.C. In fact, the renowned Egyptian queen Hatshepsut is thought to have brought myrrh or frankincense trees from “Punt,” which could have been Somalia or even India, in 1490 B.C. However, she apparently did not bring cinnamon trees, nor are cinnamon and cassia among the spices found in the tombs of Egypt. So the true identity of the biblical cinnamon is still in question.

The true cinnamon tree grows to 10 meters (33 feet) in height. The stem branches plentifully. The leathery leaves are 10–15 centimeters (4–6 inches) in length and have three light-colored, radiating veins. The spongy outer bark is scraped off, revealing a fragrant pale brown inner bark. This inner bark carries the cinnamon flavor. It is cut off and dried, and the bark curls to form little scrolls. The small flowers have an unpleasant smell.

According to EXO 30:23, cinnamon was an ingredient of the holy oil used to anoint the Tabernacle, ark, and priests. The temptress of PRO 7:17 perfumes her bed with it, together with myrrh and aloes. Today the bark of cinnamon is ground into powder and used as a spice for food and as an ingredient in incense and perfume. Even the leaves and unripe berries (“buds”) are marketed as condiments.

Translators in Asia will be able to use their own word for cinnamon (for example, Mandarin rou gui, xi lan rou gui; Korean kye / kyepi, sillon-gyepi; Malay kayu manis; Nepali dalchini; Tamil lavanga pattai; Thai obchoey; Vietnamese cay que / nhuc que, que ranh). They will even be able to distinguish between cassia and cinnamon. In other areas it is best to transliterate from Hebrew qinnamon or a major language (for example, English sinamon; French kanel; Spanish/Portuguese kanela; Arabic kirfa, darini, salika). Since the bark was ground into powder, the words “bark” or “powder” may be useful as classifiers. In EXO 30:23; EXO 30:24 translators will need two words for the closely related cassia and cinnamon.