Description and usage
Myrrh was the aromatic resin of certain bushes. This resin was added to an oil base to make a perfume to put on the body. See also Embalming oils.
Translation
The tree that produced the myrrh resin was not native to Israel, and the import of myrrh made it an expensive luxury. This should be borne in mind when translating EST 2:12; PSA 45:9; PRO 7:17; SNG 1:13; MAT 2:11.
Most translators borrow a term for “myrrh.” In some passages translators may expand the translation to indicate the nature of the substance; compare GNT at PSA 45:9, where it says “perfume of myrrh.” In many instances, particularly in the New Testament, they may use a general expression such as “ointment,” “aromatic oil,” or “perfume.” When the Greek word muron means “perfume,” it may be rendered “sweet-smelling oil” or “fragrant oil.”