Hebrew word · H3910

לֹט

valot

myrrh

Ladanum (labdanum): a dark, sticky, sweet-smelling resin gathered from rock-rose shrubs (Cistus species) that grow around the eastern Mediterranean. Used in perfume, incense and medicine. Appears only here and in 37:25.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) myrrh

1a) an aromatic gum exuded by the leaves of the rock rose

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Genesis 43:11

Range of meaning

Ladanum (labdanum): a dark, sticky, sweet-smelling resin gathered from rock-rose shrubs (Cistus species) that grow around the eastern Mediterranean. Used in perfume, incense and medicine. Appears only here and in 37:25.

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV and YLT: 'myrrh'. Some modern versions use 'resin', 'aromatic resin' or 'ladanum'. True myrrh is Hebrew מֹר (mor), a gum from Commiphora trees of Arabia and East Africa, used in the anointing oil (Exod 30:23) and given by the Magi.

How it drifted

Early translators, including the Septuagint (staktē, 'oil of myrrh') and the Vulgate (stacte), reached for the best-known costly resin. English 'myrrh' then took over, and readers now hear the Christmas gift.

Used elsewhere in the period

Akkadian ladunu and Greek lēdanon/ladanon (Herodotus 3.112, describing how it was gathered from goats' beards in Arabia) are related words. Most modern lexicons (HALOT, BDB) identify לֹט as ladanum.

From the study of Genesis 37:25

Range of meaning

Ladanum (also spelled labdanum): a dark, sticky, sweet-smelling resin taken from rockrose shrubs (Cistus species), which grow around the eastern Mediterranean. It was used in perfume, incense and medicine.

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV and NASB all have 'myrrh.' JPS (1985) has 'ladanum,' and NRSV has 'resin.' Myrrh proper is a different substance, Hebrew mor, a gum from Commiphora trees of Arabia and the Horn of Africa.

How it drifted

Translators in the past reached for the best-known ancient aromatic. Because 'myrrh' in English is so tied to the Magi (Matt 2:11) and to Jesus' burial, the word suggests more than the Hebrew does.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only here and in Gen 43:11. It matches Akkadian ladunu and Greek lēdanon/ladanon. Herodotus (Histories 3.112) describes ladanon collected from the beards of goats that had grazed among the shrubs. The Septuagint renders it staktē, an oily resin, and the Vulgate stacten.

Where it appears

Genesis · 2

  1. Genesis 37:25 וָלֹ֔ט and myrrh

    And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

    Here: 'And ladanum.' A sticky, sweet-smelling resin from the rockrose shrub (Cistus). It is not the 'myrrh' (Hebrew mor) of the Magi, even though many English Bibles use that word here.

  2. Genesis 43:11 וָלֹ֔ט and myrrh

    Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

    Here: A sticky fragrant resin gathered from rock-rose (Cistus) shrubs. It is not the myrrh (Hebrew mor) of incense and of the Magi, though English versions usually say 'myrrh'.

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