📖 Biblical Definition
Myrrh in Scripture marks three Christological moments. The Magi brought it to the infant Jesus (Matt 2:11) — a gift fit for a king but foreshadowing burial. Roman soldiers offered Him "wine mixed with myrrh" on the cross as a merciful anesthetic, which He refused (Mark 15:23) — He would drink the cup of wrath to the dregs without dulling. After His death, Nicodemus brought "a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight" for the burial (John 19:39). Myrrh also fills the Song of Songs with bridal fragrance (Song 1:13, 3:6, 4:6, 5:5) and was a component of the sacred anointing oil (Ex 30:23). Bitter, costly, fragrant — myrrh is the perfect emblem of the suffering yet beautiful Messiah.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
MYRRH, n.
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MYRRH, n. [Gr. myrron, smyrna.] A gum-resin issuing from the bark of a thorny tree (Commiphora) growing in Arabia and the regions bordering on the Red Sea. It is bitter to the taste, aromatic, and of a reddish-brown color; it was used by the ancients in perfuming, in anointing, and especially in embalming. In Scripture, myrrh was an ingredient of the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:23); a gift brought by the Magi to the infant Christ; the wine mingled with myrrh offered to the Crucified, which he refused; and the costly spice used by Nicodemus for his burial. It is the fragrance of the bride in the Song of Songs, and the perpetual emblem of beauty wrought through bitter suffering.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 2:11 — "They offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."
John 19:39 — "Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight."
Mark 15:23 — "They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it."
Song of Songs 5:13 — "His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
The Christmas carol names the gifts of the Magi without pressing the weight of myrrh — the bitter burial spice offered to a newborn.
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Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, myrrh for a burial. The Magi's three gifts compress the gospel into perfume and metal: the baby is a King, a Priest, and a dying Sacrifice. Modern Christmas traditions bring the gifts up brightly and leave the meaning dim. Myrrh preaches that the infancy already points to the tomb; that beauty in Scripture is almost always born from bitter; that the costly resin harvested only by wounding the tree is the right picture of a Savior whose fragrance filled the world only after His own bark was pierced. Every Christmas preach the myrrh — and every funeral preach the myrrh — and you will not drift from the cross.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H4753 — mor (מֹר) — myrrh; G4666 smyrna.
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H4753 — mor (מֹר) — myrrh; aromatic bitter resin used in anointing and embalming.
G4666 — smyrna (σμύρνα) — myrrh; brought by the Magi and used for the burial of Christ.
Usage
"Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, myrrh for a burial. The Magi preached the whole gospel at the cradle."
"Myrrh drips only when the tree is cut. The Messiah's fragrance flowed after His bark was pierced."