Hebrew word · H6875

צֳרִי

tzori

balsam

A healing, aromatic resin: 'balm' or 'balsam'. It was linked with Gilead, east of the Jordan (Gen 37:25; Jer 8:22; 46:11), and traded as medicine and perfume (Ezek 27:17).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) a kind of balsam, balm, salve

1a) as merchandise

1b) as medicine

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

A healing, aromatic resin: 'balm' or 'balsam'. It was linked with Gilead, east of the Jordan (Gen 37:25; Jer 8:22; 46:11), and traded as medicine and perfume (Ezek 27:17).

Against the English

All the major versions have 'balm', which is accurate. Which plant it came from is uncertain. Suggestions include mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), terebinth resin, and the balsam tree (Commiphora gileadensis).

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint has rhētinē, 'resin', and the Vulgate resina. Later writers such as Josephus and Pliny praise the balsam of Jericho and the Dead Sea region, though that may not be the same plant as the earlier tsori.

From the study of Jeremiah 51:8

Range of meaning

A resin or gum taken from certain trees and used as medicine and perfume, especially on wounds. Botanists cannot say for certain which plant produced it. Candidates include mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), terebinth resin, and the famous 'balsam' (Commiphora gileadensis / opobalsamum) that later Greek and Roman writers linked with Jericho and En-gedi. It was a high-value export.

Against the English

Every major English version says 'balm'. That is fine as long as 'balm' is heard in the older sense of a costly healing resin. To a modern reader it can suggest a mild soothing cream, or after the spiritual 'There Is a Balm in Gilead', a purely spiritual comfort. In Jeremiah's world it was real medicine and a trade commodity.

How it drifted

'Balm' is a shortened form of 'balsam'. In modern English it has drifted toward cosmetic and soothing uses (lip balm), and in religious use toward metaphor. Hymns built on Jer 8:22 made 'balm in Gilead' a symbol of Christ's or the Spirit's comfort, which is a later application and not this verse's point.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 37:25: Ishmaelite caravans carry ṣŏrî from Gilead to Egypt. Gen 43:11: Jacob sends it as a valuable gift. Ezek 27:17: Judah trades it at Tyre. Jer 8:22: 'Is there no ṣŏrî in Gilead?' (over Judah). Jer 46:11: 'Go up to Gilead and take ṣŏrî, virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain you multiply remedies; there is no healing for you.' The Greek Septuagint (LXX) translates it in Jeremiah as rhētinē, 'resin', and the Latin Vulgate as resina.

From the study of Ezekiel 27:17

Range of meaning

An aromatic resin, used as medicine (for wounds) and as perfume. Its botanical source is debated: mastic (Pistacia), a balsam (Commiphora), or another resin-bearing plant. It was strongly associated with Gilead, east of the Jordan.

Against the English

'Balm' in all the major versions. The translation is reasonable, but modern 'balm' suggests a soothing cream. Tsori was a raw resin and a high-value export.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 37:25 (Ishmaelite caravan from Gilead carrying 'gum, balm and myrrh' to Egypt), Genesis 43:11, Jeremiah 8:22 ('Is there no balm in Gilead?'), Jeremiah 46:11 and 51:8. Later writers (Josephus, Pliny, Strabo) describe the prized balsam groves of Jericho and En-gedi, possibly a related product.

Where it appears

Genesis · 2

  1. Genesis 37:25 וּצְרִ֣י and balm

    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 balm.' A fragrant, healing resin that Gilead was famous for. It was used as medicine and perfume.

  2. Genesis 43:11 צֳרִי֙ balm

    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: An aromatic healing resin, famously linked with Gilead (37:25; Jer 8:22). It was a prized export used as medicine and perfume.

Jeremiah · 3

  1. Jeremiah 8:22 הַצֳרִי֙ ¿ balm

    Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?

    Here: A medicinal tree resin, a well-known export product. The prefixed ha- turns the clause into a question; the article points to 'the' balm everyone knows Gilead for.

  2. Jeremiah 46:11 צֳרִ֔י balm

    Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for you there is no healing.

    Here: An aromatic tree resin that was valued as a wound dressing and traded internationally. Gilead's balm was proverbial, and it was traditionally carried down to Egypt (Gen 37:25).

  3. Jeremiah 51:8 צֳרִי֙ balm

    Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.

    Here: An expensive aromatic tree resin, traded from Gilead and put on wounds. Jeremiah's readers knew it from his earlier lines 'Is there no balm in Gilead?' (8:22) and from his mocking advice to Egypt (46:11).

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 27:17 וָצֹ֔רִי and balm

    Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith, cakes and honey, oil and balm for your merchandise.

    Here: An aromatic resin from trees or shrubs, valued as medicine and perfume. It is the 'balm in Gilead' of Jeremiah 8:22, and it was a famous export of the land as far back as Genesis 37:25.

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