BDELLIUM dĕl’ ĭ əm, the name applied to the aromatic gum resins (cf. KJV and NEB Num 11:7), with a pungent taste, derived from Commiphora. It is a mucilaginous exudation of a tree similar to myrrh, and sometimes found as an adulterant of it, much sought after by the ancients (cf. Gen 2:12) for use in perfume. As a true gum it is related to sugars and carbohydrates, being soluble in water, insoluble in organic liquids, and on heating it decomposes without fusion.