Henna

Henna is a tall shrub with fragrant white flowers and leaves that produce a red dye for coloring skin and hair.

Henna plant
Henna plant (Adolphus Ypey, Vervolg ob de Avbeeldingen der artseny-gewassen met derzelver Nederduitsche en Latynsche beschryvingen, Eersde Deel, 1813, via Kurt Stueber) Henna

About Henna

A sweet-smelling, flowering shrub mentioned in Song of Songs 1:14 and 4:13. In older Bible translations like the King James Version, the Hebrew word kopher was translated as "camphire." But scholars today agree it refers to the henna plant (Lawsonia inermis).

Henna is native to northern India and grows wild in the Sudan, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel and the surrounding areas. It grows between 1.2 to 3.7 meters (4 to 12 feet) tall. Its fragrance is similar to that of roses.

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The plant itself Article

Habitat, identification, and how translators render the term across languages.

Key References

Song of Solomon 1:14

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.

Song of Solomon 4:13

Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

Song of Solomon 7:12

Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.

All Scripture References (3)

Song of Solomon (3)
Song of Solomon 1:14

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.

Song of Solomon 4:13

Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

Song of Solomon 7:12

Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.