Greek word · G3744

ὀσμή

osmē

aroma

Literally "an odour of pleasing fragrance". In the Greek Old Testament this is the fixed translation of Hebrew rēaḥ nîḥōaḥ, a "soothing" or "pleasing" aroma. nîḥōaḥ is related to nûaḥ, "rest" or "be at ease" (HALOT). The formula means that God accepts the offering with favour.

Appears 6 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὀσμή, -ῆς, ἡ

(ὄζω), [in LXX chiefly for רֵיחַ ;]

a smell, odour: John 12:3; metaphorically (EV, savour), 2 Corinthians 2:14 2:16; of the effect of sacrifice (cf. נִיחוֹחַ רֵיחַ, Genesis 8:21, al., see: εὐωδία), ὀ. εὐωδίας, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 4:18.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ephesians 5:2

Range of meaning

Literally "an odour of pleasing fragrance". In the Greek Old Testament this is the fixed translation of Hebrew rēaḥ nîḥōaḥ, a "soothing" or "pleasing" aroma. nîḥōaḥ is related to nûaḥ, "rest" or "be at ease" (HALOT). The formula means that God accepts the offering with favour.

Against the English

KJV "sweetsmelling savour", YLT "odour of a sweet smell", WEB "sweet-smelling fragrance", NASB "fragrant aroma", BSB/ESV/NIV "fragrant", NLT "a pleasing aroma to God". NLT's "pleasing" is closest to the point. "Sweet" and "fragrant" can sound like perfume.

How it drifted

Modern readers hear "fragrant" as a nice scent, like flowers or incense. KJV "savour" is archaic, and today "savour" means taste. To an ancient hearer the phrase meant the smoke of a burning offering rising from the altar, and the technical verdict that God accepted it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 8:21 (Noah's burnt offering: God smelled the "soothing aroma" and promised not to curse the ground again). Exodus 29:18; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17 (burnt offerings); 2:2, 9 (grain offerings); 3:5 (peace offerings); and once with a sin offering (Lev 4:31). Paul uses it for the Philippians' financial gift (Phil 4:18) and uses related aroma imagery in 2 Cor 2:14–16.

From the study of John 12:3

Range of meaning

Smell, odour, scent; usually pleasant in context. In the Septuagint it often appears in the sacrificial phrase 'a pleasing aroma' (osmē euōdias) to God.

Against the English

'Fragrance' is accurate. KJV 'odour' now leans toward a bad smell in modern English.

How it drifted

'Odour' was neutral in 1611 and has since come to suggest unpleasant smells.

Used elsewhere in the period

Song 1:12 in the Septuagint: nard 'gave its osmē'. Paul uses osmē for the 'aroma' of Christ and of sacrificial self-giving (2 Cor 2:14–16; Eph 5:2; Phil 4:18). A later rabbinic comment on Eccl 7:1 notes that good oil's fragrance spreads from one room to the next. That comment is later than John and is only an illustration.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 2:14

Range of meaning

Smell or odour, good or bad. In the Greek Old Testament it appears constantly in the phrase osmē euōdias, 'a pleasing aroma', for burnt offerings rising to God (Gen 8:21; Exod 29:18; Lev 1:9, 13, 17, about 40 times). It also covers incense and perfume.

Against the English

KJV 'savour' now sounds like taste. 'Fragrance' and 'aroma' (BSB, WEB, ESV, NIV) are accurate but lose the sacrificial overtone that v.15–16 make explicit ('aroma of Christ… from death to death').

Used elsewhere in the period

Roman triumphs burned incense along the route and at the open temples. Plutarch, Aemilius Paullus 32, says every temple was open 'and full of garlands and incense'. Dionysian processions too were full of scent. Paul puts osmē and euōdia together in Philippians 4:18 and Ephesians 5:2 for sacrifice that pleases God. Sirach 24:15 and 39:14 compare wisdom to fragrance, so 'fragrance of knowledge' has Jewish wisdom precedent.

Where it appears

John · 1

  1. John 12:3 ὀσμῆς fragrance

    Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

    Here: 'Fragrance, scent'. It is a pleasant smell, and it stands in sharp contrast to 11:39, where Martha warned that Lazarus's body would already stink.

2 Corinthians · 3

  1. 2 Corinthians 2:14 ὀσμὴν fragrance

    But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

    Here: A smell that spreads. Hearers would think of the incense burned along a triumphal route, and of the 'pleasing aroma' of sacrifice in the Greek Old Testament. Verse 15 picks up the sacrificial side.

  2. 2 Corinthians 2:16 ὀσμὴ ὀσμὴ an odor, a fragrance

    To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?

    Here: A neutral word for any smell, pleasant or foul. It picks up "the smell of the knowledge of him" (v.14) and "the fragrance of Christ" (v.15). The predicate "we are" carries over from v.15: the apostles themselves are this scent.

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 5:2 ὀσμὴν an aroma

    and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

    Here: The smell rising from an altar fire. Together with the next word it forms a fixed phrase from Israel's sacrifice laws.

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 4:18 ὀσμὴν an odor

    I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

    Here: The first word of a fixed temple phrase. The gift is described as the smell rising from an offering.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.