Aloes

Aloes appear in Scripture as a fragrance, and only twice in this list. In Psalm 45:8 a king’s garments “smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia.” In Proverbs 7:17 a woman who is trying to lure a young man says, “I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.” The same spices that mark royal splendour also serve as bait in the second verse, a quiet reminder that a pleasant scent proves nothing about the heart behind it. Nave’s list also gathers some unrelated verses from Numbers 2, which do not mention aloes.

8 verses

Numbers

Numbers 2:1

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

Numbers 2:2

Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.

Numbers 2:3

And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.

Numbers 2:4

And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

Numbers 2:5

And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.

Numbers 2:6

And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.

Psalms

Psalms 45:8

All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

Proverbs

Proverbs 7:17

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

(Heb. ‘ahalim), a fragrant wood (Num. 24:6; Ps. 45:8; Prov. 7:17; Cant. 4:14), the Aquilaria agallochum of botanists, or, as some suppose, the costly gum or perfume extracted from the wood. It is found in China, Siam, and Northern India, and grows to the height sometimes of 120 feet. This species is of great rarity even in India. There is another and more common species, called by Indians aghil, whence Europeans have given it the name of Lignum aquile, or eagle-wood. Aloewood was used by the Egyptians for embalming dead bodies. Nicodemus brought it (pounded aloe-wood) to embalm the body of Christ (John 19:39); but whether this was the same as that mentioned elsewhere is uncertain.

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The bitter aloes of the apothecary is the dried juice of the leaves Aloe vulgaris.