BALSAM, BALSAM OF GILEAD
[Heb., beʹsem or boʹsem; tsoriʹ].
The term balsam applies to any of the many plants, shrubs and trees producing an aromatic and, commonly, oily and resinous substance. There are balsamiferous trees among the fir, spruce, poplar and other tree families. The balsamic oil is used medicinally (usually containing benzoic or cinnamic acid) and as a perfume.
Balsam plants and trees were always highly prized by the peoples of the Orient. The first mention of balsam oil occurs at Exodus 25:6 with reference to its use as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil of the tabernacle. (Also Ex. 35:8) The Hebrew word here used (beʹsem) derives from a root word (ba·samʹ), meaning “to be fragrant” or “to have a sweet odour,” and hence is sometimes translated as “perfume,” “sweet,” or “spices,” according to the context. (Ex. 30:23; Song of Sol. 4:10, 14, 16; 5:13; 6:2; 8:14) At Isaiah 3:24 its aromatic fragrance is contrasted with a “musty smell.”
The balsam used for the tabernacle service in the wilderness evidently came from outside of Palestine, perhaps from Egypt. During King Solomon’s reign the preciousness of balsam oil caused it to be ranked along with the gold and precious stones among the treasures that the queen of Sheba brought as gifts, as also in the tribute paid by the kings of many lands to the wise king in Jerusalem. (1 Ki. 10:2, 10, 25; 2 Chron. 9:1, 9, 24) It was among the precious things stored in the king’s treasure-house that Hezekiah unwisely showed to the emissaries from Babylon. (2 Ki. 20:13; 2 Chron. 32:27; Isa. 39:2) It was used in the embalming (though not in the Egyptian way) of King Asa’s body (2 Chron. 16:14) and, interestingly, our English word “embalm” appears to be originally derived from the Hebrew ba·samʹ. Esther was massaged with aromatic balsam oil during the final six-month period prior to her appearance before King Ahasuerus.—Esther 2:12.
The “balsam [Heb., tsoriʹ] in Gilead” appears to have been of a unique quality and possessed of special medicinal properties. (Jer. 8:22; 46:11) The Hebrew word used is from a root meaning “to bleed,” perhaps indicating the process by which the oil or gum was extracted or “bled” from the balsam plant. Such balsam is first mentioned as among the articles carried by the caravan of Ishmaelites coming out of the Transjordanian region of Gilead and to whom Joseph was subsequently sold. (Gen. 37:25-28) Jacob later included it in with the “finest products of the land” when sending a gift to Egypt with his returning sons. (Gen. 43:11) According to Ezekiel 27:17, the wealthy merchants of Tyre imported it from the kingdom of Judah.
References to the healing virtues of such balsam are common in ancient literature, chiefly as a cure for wounds. All references to such healing properties in the Scriptures are made by Jeremiah. He uses these, however, in a figurative sense, first when lamenting the spiritual breakdown in Judah (Jer. 8:14, 15, 21, 22; compare James 5:14, 15), then in chiding Egypt as to her vain efforts to avoid defeat by Babylon (Jer. 46:11-13), and, finally, in pronouncing God’s judgment of calamity against Babylon.—51:8-10.
Identification of the specific plants or trees represented by the Hebrew words beʹsem and tsoriʹ is not definite. The name of Gilead has been applied to a shrublike evergreen tree called Balsamodendron opobalsamum or gileadense. Its greenish-yellow oily resin is gathered by making incisions in the stem and branches, and the little balls of sap that form are later collected. While this particular tree is found chiefly in S Arabia and does not presently grow in Palestinian territory, the Jewish historian Josephus indicates that it was cultivated around Jericho in Solomon’s time, while the Greek geographer Strabo records that in Roman times it was also grown beside the Sea of Galilee.
Another balsamic plant suggested is an evergreen named Pistacia lentiscus, which produces a pale-yellow fragrant gum called “mastic,” as well as an oil used for medicinal purposes obtained from the bark, leaves and berries. Mastic continues to be used by Arabs as a flavoring agent in coffee and sweets. The tree is common in Palestine and its name in Arabic is very similar to the Hebrew tsoriʹ.