Topic
Gilead, Balm of
4 passages cited, from 2 classic reference works.
These works date from 1897–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Genesis 37:25Easton
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
- Jeremiah 8:22Easton
Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
- Jeremiah 46:11Easton
Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
- Ezekiel 27:17Easton
Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.
In the reference works
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · 5 references
The region of Gilead abounded in spices and aromatic gums, which were exported to Egypt and Tyre (Gen. 37:25; Jer. 8:22; 46:11; Ezek. 27:17). The word “balm” is a contracted form of “balsam,” a word derived from the Greek balsamon, which was adopted as the representative of the Hebrew words baal shemen, meaning “lord” or “chief of oils.”
The Hebrew name of this balm was tsori. The tree yielding this medicinal oil was probably the Balsamodendron opobalsamum of botanists, and the Amyris opobalsamum of Linnaeus. It is an evergreen, rising to the height of about 14 feet. The oil or resin, exuding through an orifice made in its bark in very small quantities, is esteemed of great value for its supposed medicinal qualities. (See BALM.) It may be noted that Coverdale’s version reads in Jer. 8:22, “There is no triacle in Galaad.” The word “triacle” = “treacle” is used in the sense of ointment.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 0 references
See BALM OF GILEAD.
Texts: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.