1. balm, healing resin — A noun (tsori) denoting an aromatic resin or balm, prized for its medicinal and healing properties, produced in Gilead. Used as a trade commodity (Gen 37:25, 43:11; Ezek 27:17), and as a metaphor for spiritual healing (Jer 8:22 'Is there no balm in Gilead?', 46:11, 51:8). Multilingual evidence is uniform: eng 'balm', spa 'bálsamo', hin बलसान, arb بَلَسَانًا/بَلَسَانٌ, kor 유향, swa 'zeri/balm'. The article in S130733 is a syntactic feature (interrogative context), not a separate sense. 6×
AR["أَلَيْسَ-بَلَسَانٌ","بَلَسَانًا","بَلَسَانٍ","وَ-صَمْغَ","وَبَلَسَانٍ"]·ben["আর-গুগ্গুল","আর-মলমে","কি-মলম","গুগ্গুলু","বলসান","মলম"]·DE["Balsam","[הצרי]","[וצרי]","[צרי]","und-Balsam"]·EN["Is-there-no-balm","and-balm","balm"]·FR["[הצרי]","[צרי]","baume","et-baume"]·heb["ה-צרי","ו-צורי","ו-צרי","צורי","צרי"]·HI["और-बलसान","क्या-बलसान","बलसान"]·ID["apakah-balsam","balsam","dan-balsam","dan-damar"]·IT["[וצרי]","balsamo","e-balsamo"]·jav["Lenga-wangi","balsam","balsem","lan-balsam","lan-balsem"]·KO["그리고-유향과","그리고-유향을","유향과","유향을","유향이인가"]·PT["Bálsamo","bálsamo","e-bálsamo"]·RU["бальзам","бальзам-ли","бальзама","и-бальзам","и-бальзамом"]·ES["bálsamo","y-bálsamo","¿Acaso-bálsamo"]·SW["chamomile","je-balm","na-zeri","zeri"]·TR["merhem","merhem-mi","pelesenk","ve-balsamla","ve-merhem"]·urd["اور-بلسان","بلسان","کیا-بلسان"]
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† צֳרִי (Gn 37:25) (וּ)צְרִי, צֹ֑רִי Ez 27:17 n.[m.] a kind of balsam, as merchandise Gn 37:25 (J), gift Gn 43:11 (J), medicament Je 8:22; 46:11; 51:8 (for national disaster, in fig.);—ThDyer-M’Lean in Ency. Bib.Balm think a resin, like (not necess. =) gum of mastic-tree, pistacia lentiscus (otherwise PostHastings DB).