Myrrh, or Smyrna
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Ex. 30:23, Song of Songs 4:6, Matt. 2:11, John 19:39, and others)—a well-known aromatic substance, used also in medicine. It served from ancient times as an article of trade, and was highly valued by the Egyptians and Hebrews, as well as by the Greeks and Romans, and to this day still constitutes a valuable product in the East and in Europe. References to myrrh, or smyrna, in Holy Scripture occur not infrequently, as may be seen from the citations given. In ancient times myrrh was used partly for compounding the sacred oil of anointing, for sacred anointing; partly for fragrance—for perfuming garments and rooms; and finally, as a medicine and for embalming and anointing the bodies of the dead (John 19:39); sometimes wine was mixed with myrrh (Mark 15:23).
Among the gifts of the wise men from the East who came to worship the infant Jesus was myrrh (Matt. 2:11). Nicodemus brought for the anointing of the dead body of Jesus a fragrant compound of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds (John 19:39).