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Bible Dictionaries
Myrrh
American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
or A precious gum yielded by a tree common in Africa and Arabia, which is about eight or nine feet high; its wood hard, and its trunk thorny. It was of several kinds, and various degrees of excellence. The best was an ingredient in the holy ointment, Exodus 30:23 . It was also employed in perfumes, Esther 2:12 Psalm 45:8 Song of Song of Solomon 4:6 5:5,13; and in embalming, to preserve the body from corruption, John 19:39 . The magi, who came from the East to worship Christ, offered him myrrh, Matthew 2:11 .
In Mark 15:23 , is mentioned "wine mingles with myrrh," which was offered to Jesus previous to his crucifixion, and intended to deaden the anguish of his sufferings. It was a custom among the Hebrews to give such stupefying liquors to persons who were about to be capitally punished, Proverbs 31:6 . Some have thought that the myrrhed wine of Mark is not the same as the "vinegar mingled with gall" of Matthew 27:34 . They suppose the myrrhed wine was given to our Lord from a sentiment of sympathy, to prevent him from feeling too sensibly the pain of his sufferings; while the potation mingled with gall, of which he would not drink, was given from cruelty. But the other explanation is the more probable. See GALL .
These files are public domain and are a derivative of the topics are from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary published in 1859.
Rand, W. W. Entry for 'Myrrh'. American Tract Society Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ats/m/myrrh.html. 1859.
