Topical Encyclopedia
Aloes, in the context of the Bible, refers to a fragrant substance derived from the wood of the Aquilaria tree, also known as agarwood. This aromatic resin was highly valued in ancient times for its fragrance and was often used in perfumes, incense, and embalming practices. The term "aloes" appears in several passages throughout the Scriptures, highlighting its significance and symbolic meanings.
Biblical References:1.
Numbers 24:6 · In Balaam's oracle, the beauty and prosperity of Israel are likened to "aloes planted by the LORD." This comparison emphasizes the preciousness and divine favor bestowed upon Israel, as aloes were considered rare and valuable.
2.
Psalm 45:8 · The psalmist describes the garments of the king as being "fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia." This imagery conveys the majesty and splendor of the king, suggesting that his presence is as pleasing and desirable as the finest fragrances.
3.
Proverbs 7:17 · In a warning against the seductions of the adulterous woman, it is mentioned that her bed is perfumed with "myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon." Here, aloes are part of the allure and temptation, indicating their use in creating an enticing atmosphere.
4.
Song of Solomon 4:14 · The beloved is compared to a garden filled with "nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices." This poetic imagery highlights the richness and desirability of the beloved, with aloes symbolizing luxury and beauty.
5.
John 19:39 · After the crucifixion of Jesus, Nicodemus brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds, to anoint Jesus' body for burial. This act of devotion underscores the respect and honor given to Jesus, as aloes were used in embalming to preserve and honor the deceased.
Cultural and Symbolic Significance:Aloes were not native to Israel and were likely imported from regions such as India or Southeast Asia, making them a luxury item. Their inclusion in biblical texts often signifies wealth, honor, and divine blessing. The use of aloes in burial practices, as seen in the account of Jesus' burial, reflects the cultural importance of proper burial rites and the desire to honor the deceased with the finest materials available.
In a spiritual sense, aloes can symbolize the fragrance of a righteous life, pleasing to God and others. The use of aloes in the anointing of Jesus' body also foreshadows the significance of His sacrifice and the honor due to Him as the Messiah.
Overall, aloes in the Bible serve as a symbol of beauty, wealth, and reverence, reflecting both the cultural practices of the time and deeper spiritual truths.
ATS Bible Dictionary
AloesOr more properly, ALOE, and East Indian tree, that grows about eight or ten feet high, and yields a rich perfume,Psalm 45:8Proverbs 7:17 So 4:14. This tree or wood was called by the Greeks Agallochon, and has been known to moderns by the names of Lign-aloe, aloe-wood, paradise-wood, eagle-wood, etc. Modern botanists distinguish two kinds: the one grows in Cochin China, Siam, and China, is never exported, and is of so great rarity in India, as to be worth its weight in gold. The tree is represented as large, with an erect trunk and lofty branches. The other or more common species is called garo in the East Indies, and is the wood of a tree growing in the Moluccas, the Excoecaria Agallocha of Linnaeus. The leaves are like those of a pear-tree; and it has a milky juice, which, as the tree grows old, hardens into a fragrant resin. The trunk is knotty, crooked, and usually hollow. Aloe-wood is said by Herodotus to have been used by the Egyptians for embalming dead bodies, and Nicodemus brought it, mingled with myrrh, to embalm the body of our Lord,John 19:39. This perfume, it will be seen, is something altogether different from the aloes of the apothecaries, which is a bitter resin, extracted from a low herb.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Hebrews `ahalim), a fragrant wood (
Numbers 24:6;
Psalm 45:8;
Proverbs 7:17; Cant. 4:14), the Aquilaria agallochum of botanists, or, as some suppose, the costly gum or perfume extracted from the wood. It is found in China, Siam, and Northern India, and grows to the height sometimes of 120 feet. This species is of great rarity even in India. There is another and more common species, called by Indians aghil, whence Europeans have given it the name of Lignum aquile, or eagle-wood. Aloewood was used by the Egyptians for embalming dead bodies. Nicodemus brought it (pounded aloe-wood) to embalm the body of Christ (
John 19:39); but whether this was the same as that mentioned elsewhere is uncertain.
The bitter aloes of the apothecary is the dried juice of the leaves Aloe vulgaris.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) Plural of Aloe.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ALOES; LIGNALOESal'-oz, lin-al'-oz, lig-nal'-oz ('ahalim,Numbers 24:6, translation "lign-aloes" (= lignum aloes, "wood of aloes"),Proverbs 7:17; 'ahaloth,Psalm 45:8Songs 4:14; aloe,John 19:39): Mentioned as a substance for perfuming garments (Psalm 45:8) and beds (Proverbs 7:17). InSongs 4:14, it occurs in a list of the most precious spices. The most memorable use of aloes as a spice is inJohn 19:39: "There came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him at night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds." This was an immense quantity and if the aloes bore any large proportion to the myrrh the mixture must have been purchased at a very high cost. The most difficult mention of aloes is the earliest where (Numbers 24:5, 6) Balaam in his blessing on Israel exclaims-"How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel! As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river-side, As lign-aloes which Yahweh hath planted, As cedar-trees beside the waters." As the aloes in question grow in East Asia it is difficult to see how Balaam could have come to speak of them as living trees. Post (HDB, I, 69) suggests that they may possibly have been growing at that time in the Jordan valley; this is both improbable and unnecessary. Balaam need have had no actual tree in his mind's eye but may have mentioned the aloe as a tree famous over the Orient for its preciousness. That the reference is poetical rather than literal may be supposed by the expression in the next verse "cedar-trees beside the waters"-a situation very unnatural for the high-mountain-loving cedar. Yet another explanation is that the Hebrew has been altered and that 'elim, "terebinths" instead of 'ahalim, "aloes" stood in the original text. The aloe wood of the Bible is eaglewood-so misnamed by the Portuguese who confused the Malay name for it (agora) with the Latin aquila, "eagle"-a product of certain trees of the Natural Order Aquilariaceae, growing in Southeast Asia The two most valued varieties are Aquilaria malaccensis and Aloes agallocha-both fine spreading trees. The resin, which gives the fragrant quality to the wood, is formed almost entirely in the heart wood; logs are buried, the outer part decays while the inner, saturated with the resin, forms the "eagle wood" or "aloe wood" of commerce; "aloes" being the same wood in a finely powdered condition. To the Arabs this wood is known as `ud. It shows a beautiful graining and takes a high polish.
These aloes must be clearly distinguished from the well-known medicinal aloes, of ancient fame. This is a resin from Aloes socatrina, and allied species, of the Natural Order Liliaceae, originally from the island of Socotra, but now from Barbados, the Cape of Good Hope and other places. The "American aloe" (Agave americana) which today is cultivated in many parts of Palestine, is also quite distinct from the Biblical plant.
E. W. G. Masterman
Greek
250. aloe -- aloe... aloe. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: aloe Phonetic Spelling:
(al-o-ay') Short Definition:
aloes Definition:
aloes, the powdered fragrant aloe
...Strong's Hebrew
174. ahalim -- the aloe (a tree)... the aloe (a tree). Transliteration: ahalim Phonetic Spelling: (a-haw-leem') Short
Definition:
aloes.
... root Definition the aloe (a tree) NASB Word Usage
aloes (4).
...Library
Spikenard and Saffron; Calamus and Cinnamon with all the Trees of...
... CHAPTER IV. 14. Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon with all the trees
of Lebanon; myrrh andaloes with all the chief ointments....
Whether Christ was Buried in a Becoming Manner?
... But it seems to savor of waste that in order to bury Christ Nicodemus came "bringing
a mixture of myrrh andaloes about a hundred pounds weight," as recorded...
Chapter iv.
... Cypress with spikenard.14. Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon with all
trees of frankincense; myrrh andaloes with all the chief spices.14....
A Believer's Privilege at Death
... There is a far greater proportion of bitterness than pleasure in this life. I have
perfumed my bed with myrrh,aloes, and cinnamon.' Proverbs 7:77....
Texts Explained; Secondly, Psalm Xlv. 7, 8 Whether the Words...
... For this is his meaning in the Psalm, All thy garments [2091] smell of myrrh,aloes,
and cassia;' and it is represented by Nicodemus and by Mary's company...
The Gladness of the Man of Sorrows
... All thy garments smell of myrrh, andaloes, and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.""Psalm 45:7, 8....
On the Words, and Rose Again from the Dead on the Third Day, and...
... And what will He that is buried in the garden say? I have gathered My myrrh with
My spices: and again, Myrrh andaloes, with all chief spices [1709] ....
Supposing Him to be the Gardener
... from the heat of the sun under the overhanging boughs of an olive, I cast my eyes
upon palms and bananas, roses and camellias, oranges andaloes, lavender and...
The Blood of the Covenant
... His subject had been the covenant, and when he prayed his garments were sweet with
the myrrh andaloes and cassia among which his meditations had conducted him...
Apprehending God
... "O taste and see that the Lord is good." "All thy garments smell of myrrh, andaloes,
and cassia, out of the ivory palaces." "My sheep hear my voice." "Blessed...
Thesaurus
Aloes (5 Occurrences)... The bitter
aloes of the apothecary is the dried juice of the leaves Aloe vulgaris.
Noah Webster's Dictionary.
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
ALOES; LIGNALOES.
...Lign-aloes (1 Occurrence)
Lign-aloes. Lignaloes, Lign-aloes. Ligure . Easton's Bible Dictionary... (seeALOES).
Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.)Aloes wood, or agallochum....
Lignaloes
... (only in pl., Hebrews `ahalim), a perfume derived from some Oriental tree (Numbers
24:6), probably the agallochum or aloe-wood. (seeALOES)....ALOES; LIGNALOES....
Myrrh (22 Occurrences)
... Saviour; in Mark 15:23 it is offered mingled with wine as an anesthetic to the
suffering Redeemer, and in John 19:39 a "mixture of myrrh andaloes" is brought...
Cinnamon (4 Occurrences)
... In Exodus 30:23 it is one of the ingredients of the "holy anointing oil"; in Proverbs
7:17 it is, along with myrrh andaloes, a perfume for a bed; in Songs 4...
Botany
... The American aloe (Argave Americana)-quite a different plant be it noted from either
theALOES (which see) of the Bible or the well-known medicinalaloes-has...
Cassia (3 Occurrences)
... India. (2.) Hebrew pl. ketzi'oth (Psalm 45:8). Mentioned in connection
with myrrh andaloes as being used to scent garments. It...
Nicodemus (5 Occurrences)
... His wealth enabled him to provide the "mixture of myrrh andaloes, about a hundred
pounds," with which the body of Jesus was embalmed (John 19:39)....
Cedar (61 Occurrences)
... In Numbers 24:6 -"as cedar-trees beside the waters"-the reference must, as is most
probable, be purely poetical (seeALOES) or the 'arazim must signify some...
Spices (64 Occurrences)
... (5) (aroma, "spices" (Mark 16:1, the King James Version "sweet spices"; Luke
23:56; Luke 24:1 John 19:40; in John 19:39 defined as a mixture ofaloes and myrrh...
Resources
What was the significance of anointing spices in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgAloes: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
