Aloes are usually mentioned as one of the oils used in the bible. But does the Bible pertains to aloe oil? In this post, we’ll look at the different verses in the scripture that talk about aloes, to understand what the bible tells us about aloes.
1. Aloes the Tree
Some confuse aloes as aloe vera or aloe Vulgaris which is a small plant that does not grow high as the trees. When the bible mentioned aloes in the book of Numbers it talks about trees, not small plants. Notice that it did not say here the word oil as well.
“As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.” – Numbers 24:6
“Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:” – Song of Solomon 4:14
The aloe tree (Agallochon, Aquilaria agallocha, or Eagle-wood) as described by Dioscorides is native to the countries India and Arabia. In his book, he filed it under fragrant resinous heartwood. Easton bible dictionary also described it as a fragrant wood, hence its gum or perfume is extracted from the wood.
2. Myrrh always comes with Aloes
Notice the following verses below:
“Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:” – Song of Solomon 4:14
“All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.” – Psalms 45:8
“I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.” – Proverbs 7:17
“And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred-pound weight.” – John 19:39
When aloe is mentioned as a perfume, it always comes with myrrh. In some verses, the plants like frankincense, cassia, and cinnamon are mentioned but they are only cited in some verses and not in all. Whereas with myrrh, you can consistently find it in all of the verses and it is the word that comes before the word aloes.
3. Aloe is used to keep people and things fragrant
In the book of John, it was mentioned that Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, and wrapped the body of Jesus with linen clothes and spice. Hence we can conclude that aloe is used for embalming the body while keeping it with a good-smelling scent.
In the book of Proverbs, it was used as a bed perfume (Proverbs 7:17)
In the book of Psalms, it was the smell of the garment of an anointed person. (Proverbs 7:17)
Dioscorides, a Cilician Greek physician (40 CE – 90 CE) in the time of the Roman empire period described it to have a sweet scent and can be used instead of frankincense. Because of its odor, the powdered form of it was used as a deodorizer.
4. The oil form of aloe is not mentioned in the Bible
While some literature lists aloes as one of the oils in the bible, ironically, the word aloes oil was never mentioned in the Bible. We can read different verses about aloes, but the word oil never comes before or after it. Hence, we can be certain that aloes was used in those times but it is referring to the plant itself but not as an already processed substance as oil.
5. Aloe as a spice
The author of Songs of Solomon mentioned that the plants in the ‘garden’ of the woman, include aloes with all the chief spices (Song of Solomon 4:14). In the book of John, we can read that Nicodemus brought aloe and myrrh about a hundred-pound weight then wrapped the body of Jesus with linen and spices. It was not mentioned that Nicodemus was bringing other plants. The only plants mentioned were a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Since no verse exactly states that aloe is a spice, it may sound assuming to think that aloe is a spice, however, if you are going to look at different literature that describes the scent category of aloe, or eaglewood you’d find that it is spicy and woody. On the other hand, if we will not consider that aloes is a spice because the bible did not exactly tell us that it is, then we can conclude that aloes usually is mixed with spices.
“Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:” – Song of Solomon 4:14
“And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred-pound weight. “Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.” – John 19:39-40
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References:
- TA Osbaldeston, RPA Wood., The Herbal of Dioscorides the Greek (Modern English Version) 2000
- Illustrated Bible dictionary Matthew George Easton via My Bible App
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