Hebrew word · H4753

מֹר

mor-

myrrh

The aromatic gum-resin of Commiphora trees from South Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It was used as a perfume in solid lumps or as an oil, in cosmetics, in the holy anointing oil, and (in later Jewish and Roman practice) in burial spices.

Appears 12 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) myrrh

1a) an Arabian gum from the bark of a tree, used in sacred oil and in perfume

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 Song of Songs 5:5

Range of meaning

The aromatic gum-resin of Commiphora trees from South Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It was used as a perfume in solid lumps or as an oil, in cosmetics, in the holy anointing oil, and (in later Jewish and Roman practice) in burial spices. The name comes from the root m-r-r, "bitter", after the resin's taste.

Against the English

English versions all say "myrrh", which is accurate. But most modern readers know the word only from the Magi's gift (Matt 2:11) and Jesus' burial (John 19:39), so it can sound solemn or funereal. In the Hebrew Bible, and above all in the Song, it is a luxury perfume of seduction and celebration.

How it drifted

Familiarity comes from the Christmas and Passion stories. Christian allegory then made myrrh a symbol of suffering and death, and that reading sticks to the English word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 30:23 ("free-flowing myrrh", mor-deror, in the sacred anointing oil); Ps 45:8 (the royal bridegroom's robes "fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia"); Prov 7:17 (the seductress: "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh"); Esth 2:12 (six months of treatment "with oil of myrrh" before going in to the king). In the Song: 1:13 ("a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts"), 3:6, 4:6, 4:14, 5:1 ("I have gathered my myrrh"), 5:13. Related words: Akkadian murru, Ugaritic mr. Greek smyrna/myrrha is borrowed from Semitic.

From the study of Exodus 30:23

Range of meaning

Myrrh, the aromatic gum-resin of Commiphora shrubs, either as a solid resin or as an oil or liquid. The word probably shares a root with mar, 'bitter', from the resin's taste.

Against the English

English 'myrrh' comes from the same Semitic word through Greek myrra / smyrna, so the identification is secure. Modern readers may know it only from the Magi's gifts. In Israel it was mainly a perfume and cosmetic.

Used elsewhere in the period

The royal wedding garments 'are all myrrh and aloes and cassia' (Psalm 45:8). It appears in love poetry (Song 1:13; 5:5, 'hands dripping with myrrh'; Proverbs 7:17). Esther 2:12 mentions six months of 'oil of myrrh'. Herodotus (Histories 3.107) and Theophrastus describe myrrh as coming from Arabia. In the New Testament it is a gift fit for a king (Matthew 2:11) and a burial spice (John 19:39).

From the study of Psalm 45:8

Range of meaning

Myrrh: the bitter-tasting but sweet-smelling resin of Commiphora shrubs from southern Arabia and Somalia. It was used in perfumes, cosmetics, anointing oil and embalming. The name is related to the root for 'bitter' (mar).

Against the English

'Myrrh' is accurate. Modern readers mostly know it from the magi's gifts and Jesus' burial, so they may hear death or Christmas. In this psalm it is a scent of love and celebration.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is the first ingredient in the holy anointing oil (Exod 30:23). It was used to beautify women before meeting the king (Esth 2:12). It is the lover's scent throughout the Song of Songs (1:13; 3:6; 5:5). It appears with aloes in Prov 7:17. The Septuagint uses smyrna. In Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts myrrh is a prized import for temples and courts.

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 30:23 מָר־ myrrh of

    “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,

    Here: Myrrh, the fragrant gum-resin of Commiphora shrubs from South Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It was a costly import used in perfume, embalming and royal or bridal adornment.

Esther · 1

  1. Esther 2:12 הַמֹּ֔ר <the> myrrh

    In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 45:8 מֹר־ [are] myrrh

    All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.

    Here: The fragrant gum resin of the Commiphora tree, brought from southern Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It comes first with no verb, so the line opens on the scent itself: 'Myrrh!'

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 7:17 מֹ֥ר myrrh

    I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.

Song of Songs · 8

  1. Song of Songs 1:13 הַמֹּ֤ר׀ <the> myrrh

    My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.

  2. Song of Songs 3:6 מוֹר֙ myrrh

    Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, scented with myrrh and frankincense from all the spices of the merchant?

    Here: Myrrh, an expensive resin imported from South Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It was used in the sacred anointing oil and in perfumes for beds and lovers. It is one of the Song's signature erotic scents (1:13; 4:6, 14; 5:1, 5, 13).

  3. Song of Songs 4:6 הַמּ֔וֹר <the> myrrh

    Before the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.

  4. Song of Songs 4:14 מֹ֚ר myrrh

    with nard and saffron, with calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of frankincense tree, with myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices.

  5. Song of Songs 5:1 מוֹרִי֙ myrrh my

    I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.

    Here: "My myrrh." A costly fragrant resin imported from South Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It was used for perfume, bed-scenting (Prov 7:17) and anointing. It was listed among the garden's plants in 4:14.

  6. Song of Songs 5:5 מ֗וֹר מ֣וֹר myrrh

    I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt.

    Here: Myrrh, an expensive imported resin perfume. In the Song it always goes with love and the body (1:13; 4:6, 14; 5:1, 13).

  7. Song of Songs 5:13 מ֥וֹר myrrh

    His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.

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