myrrh

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “myrrh” in English is translated as “bitter medicine” in Michoacán Nahuatl and as “myrrh perfume” in Tzotzil (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.).

In Mark 15:23, Usila Chinantec translates it as “the herb myrrh which is useful so that one not feel pain in his body.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

 

Myrrh is probably the most precious spice in the Bible. It was worth more than its weight in gold. Our experts agree that the Hebrew word mor refers to the resin of one of the Commiphora genus, either myrrha, abyssinica or schimperi, all of which grew in what is now Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Madagascar. Other kinds of myrrh may have come from India (Commiphora erythraea, Commiphora opobalsamum). A more difficult question is the meaning of the word deror in Exodus 30:23. In the other places where it occurs it means “freedom” or “liberty.” This is the basis for the word “liquid” in some versions, but there is no certainty that “free” means “liquid.” The fact that myrrh was sometimes mixed with wine may suggest that deror means “liquid” here, but on the other hand, the weight of the myrrh is given in dry measure rather than liquid measure, which argues against it.

The myrrh plant is a bush or shrub with thick thorny branches that project and bend at odd angles. The leaves come in sets of three. The fruit is oval like a plum. The wood and bark have a pleasant smell. The gum oozes naturally from the branches, though some harvesters incise the branches to increase the flow. The sap or gum is clear or yellowish brown when it comes out, but gets darker as it dries. The taste of the gum is bitter (note the similarity of mor to the Hebrew word mar meaning “bitter”). In markets the gum is often found mixed with that of the kataf bush (bisabol).

God prescribed myrrh as an ingredient of the holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:23), and it is used as perfume in Esther, Psalms, Proverbs, and eight times in Song of Songs. It was brought as an expensive gift by the Magi to the new King (Matthew 2:11). As Jesus was dying on the cross, sympathetic bystanders may have offered it to him mixed with wine (Mark 15:23; see the parallel account in Matthew 27:34). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:39). In ancient Egypt myrrh was burned on the altars of the sun god, and in Persia it was attached to the crowns of kings when they appeared in public. Romans burned myrrh at funerals and cremations, which helps to explain its inclusion in the list of spices in Revelation 18:13. Today it is used in perfumes, lotions, and even in toothpaste.

Varieties of myrrh grow in the Horn of Africa and Madagascar, so people from those areas should have no difficulty finding words for it. As to whether the myrrh in Exodus 30:23 was liquid or solid, there seems to be no consensus, and the translator may be forgiven for simply ignoring the Hebrew word deror . Possible transliterations are Hebrew mor, Arabic mar, French mireh, and Spanish/Portuguese mirra.

Harvesting myrrh, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

See also mixture of myrrh with aloes.

complete verse (Song of Solomon 1:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 1:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “My beloved is like perfume that smells sweet
    when (it/he) touches between my breasts.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “My beloved, you are like a little
    cloth bag filled with myrrh hanging between my breasts.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “My beloved smells-fragrant like myrrh/[mira] while he rests-his-head upon my chest/breasts.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The man who loves me is as delightful as a sachet/small cloth bag of myrrh between my breasts.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 1:13

Two parallel phrases describe the young woman’s lover. Both this verse and the following commence with the metaphor of perfume—myrrh and henna—and then refer to the lover with the phrase My beloved is to me …. The third component in the structure is the preposition “between, in.”

My beloved: the term appears frequently and is reserved for her lover (see 2.8, 9, 10, 16, 17, and other places); it has parallels in most languages. Though in other contexts it can refer to a relative such as an uncle, here it is more private and intimate. We can say “the one I love,” “my lover,” or “my darling.”

The young woman compares her lover to a bag of myrrh. Myrrh, a fragrance made from the bark of a tree found in Arabia and India, was traditionally used for embalming the dead as well as to make a person sweet-smelling. Pro 7.17 and Est 2.12 indicate its connection with marriage and thus with lovemaking. We can render it “[sweet-smelling] perfume.” A bag is the small (cloth) bag into which the spice was placed, then hung around the person’s neck. This may be an item that is not known in the some languages or cultures, so a footnote may be appropriate. In English the word bag can refer to something quite large. Actually it was rather small, so a word like “sachet” or a phrase like “small bag” seems more appropriate.

That lies between my breasts: the verb lies actually means “spend the night” as in 2 Sam 12.16. It suggests much more than simply lying down. “Sleep the night” catches its sense. New Jerusalem Bible expresses the intimacy with “lodged between my breasts.” In translating these lines Revised Standard Version sees the bag of myrrh as the thing that lies between the breasts, but the Hebrew is ambiguous. Dividing the sentence in another way gives the impression that it is the young man who lies there. Pope translates:

• A bundle of myrrh is my love to me,
Between my breasts he lodges.

Based on the line that follows, other versions such as New Jerusalem Bible interpret as Revised Standard Version does:

• My beloved to me is a bag of myrrh
Lodged between my breasts.

As the Hebrew text is ambiguous, either interpretation can be adopted.

In many languages, however, it will be necessary to make this metaphor clearer with words of comparison, “like” or “as”; for example, “My lover lies between my breasts [all night] like a sachet of myrrh,” or “Like my sachet of sweet-smelling myrrh, my beloved lies nestled between my breasts.” In some languages it may not be natural or acceptable to refer to the young woman’s breasts. If breasts is not rendered literally, we can say “chest” or substitute a personal pronoun, “close to me.”

Good News Translation suggests “My lover has the scent of myrrh as he lies upon my breasts,” but this is slightly misleading. The point of the metaphor does not seem to be how pleasant the lover smells, but rather that he is “lodged between” her breasts, like her sachet, staying close to her all night. We can translate as:

• My beloved, like a sachet of perfume, sleeps the night on my breast.

If a reference to the breasts must be avoided, we can say:

• My lover spends the night close to me like a sachet of sweet-smelling perfume [on my chest].

• My lover is like a sweet sachet sleeping close to me all the night.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Song of Songs 1:13

1:13a–b

My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts:
Here the author used a metaphor. The woman compared the man to a sachet, or bag, of myrrh lying between her breasts. Myrrh has a delightful fragrance. As the woman smelled it, she imagined the man being close to her like the myrrh was. His presence was delightful like the fragrance of the myrrh.

In some languages this metaphor may not communicate the meaning well. If that is true in your language, other ways to translate it are:

• Use a simile. For example:

My beloved is to me like a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.

• Indicate how the man was like the sachet of myrrh. For example:

My lover has the scent of myrrh as he lies upon my breasts. (Good News Translation)
-or-
My beloved is close to me like a sachet of myrrh between my breasts.

Translate the metaphor in a meaningful way in your language.

bag of myrrh: sachet of myrrh: myrrh is an expensive perfume, which at that time was imported into Israel from other countries. It was made from the resin of a myrrh tree. The resin could be obtained in both solid and liquid forms. As a solid, it was put in a small sachet made of cloth or leather. The woman hung the sachet around her neck. Then the fragrance of the myrrh made her body smell sweet.

In some languages myrrh may not be known. If that is true in your language, some ways to translate it are:

• Use a general term for something that people put on their bodies to make them smell sweet. For example:

perfume (Contemporary English Version)

• Indicate the meaning by other words in the context. For example:

a fragrant pouch of myrrh (NET Bible)
-or-
sweet-smelling myrrh

It may also be helpful to include a footnote. For example, the NET Bible has this footnote:

Myrrh is a fragrant resin used for perfumes. (NET Bible)

1:13a

My beloved: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as My beloved is the most common way that the woman used to refer to the man in the Song. It implies that he was the one whom she loved. It does not imply that she and he had sexual relations. Try to translate the word in a way that does not imply sexual union. For example:

my love
-or-
my darling
-or-
the one I love

1:13b

resting: There are two main interpretations of the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as resting.

(1) It means “stay” or “spend the night.” For example:

spending the night between my breasts. (NET Bible)

(2) It means “lie” or “rest.” For example:

resting between my breasts. (New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). The verb form used here suggests an extended time such as “all night.”

between my breasts: In some languages the word breasts here may seem too sexually explicit. If that is true in your language, you may need to translate in a more general way. For example:

My beloved lies close to me just like a sweet-smelling bag of myrrh lies next to my chest.

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