The plant name cannabis is from Greek ????aß?? (kánnabis), via Latin cannabis, originally a Scythian or Thracian word, also loaned into Persian as kanab. English hemp (Old English hænep) may be an early loan (predating Grimm's Law) from the same Scythian source.

Semitic etymologist Sula Benet has indicated the origin, Hebrew ?????????? (qannabbôs)kaneh bosm: Benet, aka Sara Benetowa of the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw is quoted in the Book of Grass^[1] as saying:

In Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview, Mary Lynn Mathre (1997) pg. 38 the word 'gan-zi-gun-nu' is referenced from stone tablets (dating 700BC) that indicate a connection with eastern and near-eastern terms for the plant, ('gan-zi'->'ganja','gun-nu'->'qaneh'). This substance was prescribed as a useful remedy for a variety of ailments including depression, impotence, and witchcraft.

Hebrew ?????????? (qannabbôs) < ????? ??????? (qeneh bosem) may derive from Sumerian kanubi.^{[citation needed]}

Raphael Mechoulam and co-workers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem suggest an alternative etymology for cannabis: Greek cannabis < Arabic kunnab < Syriac qunnappa < Hebrew pannag (= bhanga in Sanskrit and bang in Persian). They explain that in Hebrew, only the consonants form the basis of a word and the letters p and b are frequently interchangeable. The authors think it probable that pannag, mentioned in the Bible by the prophet Ezekiel (27:17), is in fact Cannabis.^[2]

The Biblical Hebrew term qeneh bosem, literally "reed of balm", probably^[3] refers to cannabis according to some etymologists,^[1] but is more commonly thought to be lemon grass, calamus, or even sweet cane, due to widespread translation issues.^[4] The Hebrew Bible mentions it in Exodus 30:23 where God commands Moses to make a holy oil of myrrh, cinnamon, qeneh bosem and cassia to anoint the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle (and thus God's Temple in Jerusalem) ^[5]. Notably, this anointing oil is a special herbal formula that functions as a kind of polish and fragrance for the Ark and Tabernacle, and the Bible forbids its manufacture and use to anoint people (Exodus 30:31-33) with the exception of the Aaronic priesthood (Exodus 30:30).

Elsewhere, the Hebrew Bible simply uses "reed" qaneh as the name of a plant in four places whose context seems to mean "reed of balm" as a fragrant resin, Isaiah 43:24, Jeremiah 6:20, Ezekiel 27:19 and Song of Songs 4:14. The Hebrew name "reed of balm" comes from qeneh (the noun construct form of qaneh) means a "reed" or "cane" and bosem means "balm" or "aromatic" resin. Hebrew may have adapted the name qannabbôs from "reed of balm" qeneh bosem as a substitute for the ambiguous name "reed".

This Biblical Hebrew term is often mistranslated as "calamus", also called "lemon grass" (Cymbopogon citratus) or "sweet flag" (Acorus calamus), following an ancient misunderstanding in the Greek Septuagint translation.[] The Hebrew Bible was written across centuries well up to the 5th Century BCE. However, centuries later, by the time the Septuagint was written around the 2nd Century BCE, the archaic Hebrew word qeneh bosem appears to have already abbreviated into the later Hebrew form qannabbôs, which is attested in Post Biblical Hebrew literature. Thus, the Septuagint did not recognize the Hebrew expression "reed of balm" and mistook it to refer to some unidentified plant. As a dynamic equivalent, the Septuagint rendered it as "calamus" (Greek kalamos), which indeed is a "balmy" (scented) reed. The calamus plant was known in Greek mythology and processed into an aphrodisiac.

Unambiguous Hebrew or Aramaic references to cannabis are rare and obscure. Syriac has qanpa (a loan from kannabis) and tanuma (see the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon.) but neither is found in the Peshitta, the Syriac Bible. Late Syriac Ahiqar texts include qanpa as "ropes of hemp" (tunbei de-qanpa). The Hebrew word qanbes, a loan word from kannabis, is used in the Mishnah as hemp [Kilaim 2:5; 5:8; 9:1,7; Negaim 11:2] in the sense of a constituent of clothing or other items.

Likely, the name 'cannabis', derives in the west from Semitic merchants who traded it as a commodity throughout the ancient trade routes of Southeast Asia, thus utilizing indo-iranian terms 'panang','banag', etc. in reference to the spice.

References

"Dealing With Drugs In European Drug Control", Dr. Tim Boekhout van Solinge (2004) Boom uitgevers Den Haag, pg. 7

"Cannabis: A History", pg. 27, Martin Booth (2005) Macmillan

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