BALM

Balm. Balm
Contracted from Bal’sam, a general name for many oily or resinous substances which flow or trickle from certain trees or plants when an incision is made through the bark.

(1.) This word occurs in the Authorized Version (Gen. 37:25; 43:11; Jer. 8:22; 46:11; 51:8; Ezek. 27:17) as the rendering of the Hebrew word tsori_ or _tseri, which denotes the gum of a tree growing in Gilead (q.v.), which is very precious. It was celebrated for its medicinal qualities, and was circulated as an article of merchandise by Arab and Phoenician merchants. The shrub so named was highly valued, and was almost peculiar to Palestine. In the time of Josephus it was cultivated in the neighbourhood of Jericho and the Dead Sea. There is an Arab tradition that the tree yielding this balm was brought by the queen of Sheba as a present to Solomon, and that he planted it in his gardens at Jericho.

(2.) There is another Hebrew word, basam_ or _bosem, from which our word “balsam,” as well as the corresponding Greek balsamon, is derived. It is rendered “spice” (Cant. 5:1, 13; 6:2; margin of Revised Version, “balsam;” Ex. 35:28; 1 Kings 10:10), and denotes fragrance in general. Basam also denotes the true balsam-plant, a native of South Arabia (Cant. l.c.).

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BALM. → A medicinal balsam Ge 37:25; 43:11; Jer 8:22; 46:11; 51:8; Eze 27:17

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(from balsam , Heb. tzori, tezri) occurs in (Genesis 37:25; 43:11; Jeremiah 8:22; 46:11; 51:8; Ezekiel 27:17) (It is an aromatic plant, or the resinous odoriferous sap or gum which exudes from such plants.) It is impossible to identify it with any certainty. It is impossible to identify it with any certainty. It may represent the gum of the Pistacia lentiscus , or more probably that of the Balsamodendron opobalsamum , allied to the balm of Gilead , which abounded in Gilead east of the Jordan. The trees resembled fig trees (or grape vines), but were lower, being but 12 to 15 feet high. It is now called the BALM OF GILEAD, or Meccabalsam , the tree or shrub being indigenous in the mountains around Mecca. [INCENSE; SPICE, SPICES] Hasselquist says that the exudation from the plant "is of a yellow color, and pellucid. It has a most fragrant smell, which is resinous, balsamic and very agreeable. It is very tenacious or glutinous, sticking to the fingers, and may be drawn into long threads." It was supposed to have healing as well as aromatic qualities.

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a fragrant balsam Ge 37:25; 43:11; Jer 8:22; 46:11; 51:8; Eze 27:17

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balm. Balm, n. the name of a plant

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Balm (bäm), n. [[OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. βάλσαμον; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. bāsām. Cf. Balsam.]] 1. 1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa.
2. 2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs. Dryden.
3. 3. Any fragrant ointment. Shak.
4. 4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. “Balm for each ill.” Mrs. Hemans.
Balm cricket (Zoöl.), the European cicada. Tennyson. — Balm of Gilead (Bot.), a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the terebinthine family (Balsamodendron Gileadense). Its leaves yield, when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca. This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. The fragrant herb Dracocephalum Canariense is familiarly called balm of Gilead, and so are the American trees, Populus balsamifera, variety candicans (balsam poplar), and Abies balsamea (balsam fir).