Nard

Occurrences in the Bible

In the Old Testament, nard appears in the Song of Solomon. The New Korean Revised Version renders the word as "nado"; the King James Version uses "spikenard."

• Song of Solomon 1:12: The bride sings, "my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof."
• Song of Solomon 4:13-14: The bridegroom likens the bride to a garden and names spikenard twice among the precious spices found there: "camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron."

In the New Testament, nard appears in the account of Jesus' anointing at Bethany a few days before His crucifixion.

• Mark 14:3-9: In the house of Simon the leper, a woman breaks "an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious" and pours it on Jesus' head. Some of those present become indignant, saying that the ointment "might have been sold for more than three hundred pence" and the money given to the poor. Jesus says that the woman has prepared His body beforehand for burial.
• John 12:1-8: Mary takes "a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly," anoints Jesus' feet, and wipes them with her hair, and "the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." Judas Iscariot objects to the act, citing the sum of three hundred pence.

Matthew 26:6-13 records the same event but speaks only of "very precious ointment," without naming nard.

Background

Nard is understood to be an aromatic substance obtained from the rhizome of a plant (Nardostachys jatamansi) that grows in the high mountain regions of the Himalayas. Because it had to be brought over long distances from the region of India, it was a very costly luxury in the ancient Mediterranean world. The word rendered "pure" in Mark and John translates the Greek pistikē (the KJV renders the phrase simply as "spikenard"). Its exact meaning is debated among scholars, but the view that it means "unadulterated" or "genuine" is widely accepted.

Three hundred denarii ("pence" in the KJV) is commonly explained as roughly a laborer's yearly wages, on the basis of Matthew 20:2, where one denarius is a day's pay.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

In the Song of Solomon, nard expresses the fragrance and preciousness of the beloved. In the Gospels it carries the combined meanings of anointing and preparation for burial. Jesus Himself interpreted the act as done for His burial (Mark 14:8; John 12:7). For this reason, the scene is also read as the anointing of the Messiah (the Anointed One) on the eve of His suffering. John's Gospel places this event immediately before the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• Whether the accounts describe one event: Mark and Matthew record that the ointment was poured on Jesus' head, while John records that it was poured on His feet. Luke 7:36-50 also contains an account of a sinful woman pouring ointment. Interpreters differ on whether these records describe the same event or two or three different events. Luke's account does not mention nard by name.
• Identity of the woman: Only John identifies the woman as Mary, the sister of Lazarus. Western church tradition at one time identified this Mary with the sinful woman of Luke and with Mary Magdalene. The text, however, contains nothing to support this identification.
• Later embellishments: It is often said that the ointment was the woman's dowry or her life savings, but the biblical text says nothing of the kind.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, this passage is frequently used as a sermon text on wholehearted devotion and love, often under the phrase "the woman who broke the alabaster box." Because of Jesus' words about preparing beforehand for His burial, it is also a favorite subject of sermons during Holy Week.