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Bible Dictionaries
Myrrh
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or MYRRH. 1. môr (Arab [Note: Arabic.] , murr ), the dried gum of a species of balsam ( Balsamodendron myrrha ) growing in Arabia and India. It has a pleasant, though faint, smell ( Psalms 45:8 , Proverbs 7:17 , Song of Solomon 1:13; Song of Solomon 3:5 ). It is still used in medicine ( Mark 15:23 ). It was used in embalming ( John 19:39 ). According to Schweinfurth, the myrrh of the OT was a liquid product of the Balsamodendron opobalsamum , known as balsam of Mecca. Exodus 30:23 and Song of Solomon 5:5; Song of Solomon 5:13 , where the ‘myrrh’ appears to have been liquid, support this view. See also Ointment.
2 . lôt , tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘myrrh’ in Genesis 37:25; Genesis 43:11 , is a fragrant resin from the Cislus or ‘rock rose,’ a common Palestine shrub. In Arab [Note: Arabic.] , this is called lâdhan (Lat. ladanum , so RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ). As a product of Palestine it was a likely substance to send to Egypt.
E. W. G. Masterman
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Myrrh'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/m/myrrh.html. 1909.
