Spikenard (Heb. nêrd). Song of Solomon 1:12; Song of Solomon 4:13-14. The ointment with which our Lord was anointed in Simon's house at Bethany was this nêrd, and was very costly. See Mark 14:3-5; John 12:3; John 12:5. The ointment was made from an aromatic herb of the valerian family, imported from an early age from Arabia, India, and the Far East.