Bible Verses About Balm of Gilead: 12

"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?"

— Jeremiah 8:22 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about balm of Gilead want Scripture on Jeremiah's "balm in Gilead" cry and the healing resin of that region — not only the general healing inventory, the comfort list, or consolation of Israel alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about healing, Bible verses about comfort, Bible verses about the consolation of Israel, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about grace, Bible verses about mercy, Bible verses about the Redeemer, and Bible verse of the day. Balm of Gilead here means Jer 8:22 and matching balm/physician/wound lines — distinct from a general healing survey alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, "balm" is צֳרִי tsori (Strong's H6875; Bible Hub H6875) — balsam, balm, the medicinal resin. "Gilead" is גִּלְעָד Gilʿad (Strong's H1568; Bible Hub H1568) — the region east of the Jordan known for that trade. Jeremiah 8:22 asks whether there is no balm in Gilead and no physician there, when the wound of the people still goes unhealed. This list tracks that balm-in-Gilead cry and related balm/physician language, not the whole healing inventory.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 8 presses the sorrow that there was balm in Gilead and a physician, yet the people were not healed (Bible Hub MHC Jeremiah 8; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 8). Jeremiah 46 returns to balm for Egypt's wound as a stark picture (Bible Hub MHC Jeremiah 46; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 46). (Healing and comfort lists live on those pages; this list centers balm of Gilead.)

12 Bible verses about balm of Gilead

1. Jeremiah 8:22. "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?" Balm in Gilead — physician and unhealed wound. See Bible verses about healing.

2. Jeremiah 46:11. "'Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt. But you try many medicines in vain; there is no healing for you.'" Get balm in Gilead — medicines in vain. See Bible verses about hope.

3. Genesis 37:25. "As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt." Caravan from Gilead — balm as trade. See Bible verses about providence.

4. Genesis 43:11. "Then their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.'" A little balm — gift from the land. See Bible verses about grace.

5. Jeremiah 51:8. "Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed." Get balm for her pain — perhaps she can be healed. See Bible verses about comfort.

6. Ezekiel 27:17. "'Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, olive oil and balm for your merchandise.'" Judah traded balm — merchandise of healing resin. See Bible verses about work.

7. Jeremiah 30:17. "'But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the Lord, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'" I will restore you to health — heal your wounds. See Bible verses about healing.

8. Jeremiah 33:6. "'Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.'" Health and healing — abundant peace. See Bible verses about peace.

9. Hosea 6:1. "'Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.'" He will heal us — bind up our wounds. See Bible verses about repentance.

10. Isaiah 1:6. "From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil." Wounds not soothed — no balm applied. See Bible verses about holiness.

11. Luke 10:34. "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him." Bandaged his wounds — oil and wine. See Bible verses about mercy.

12. Revelation 22:2. "down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Leaves for the healing of the nations — final balm. See Bible verses about the tree of life.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need balm of Gilead — not twelve as a grind. If you need Jeremiah's cry, start with Jeremiah 8:22. If you need balm as trade/gift, open Genesis 37:25 or 43:11. If you need the Lord's promise to heal wounds, open Jeremiah 30:17 or Hosea 6:1. For the general healing list, open Bible verses about healing. For comfort, open Bible verses about comfort. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about balm of Gilead?

Jeremiah 8:22 (is there no balm in Gilead?), Jeremiah 46:11 (go up to Gilead and get balm), and Genesis 37:25 (camels loaded with balm from Gilead) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about balm of Gilead differ from healing alone?

Healing pages often inventory sickness, prayer for the sick, and Christ's healings. This page centers the tsori / Gilead balm language and Jeremiah's wound-of-my-people cry, then cross-links healing. See Bible verses about healing.

What does "balm in Gilead" mean in the Bible?

Jeremiah 8:22 uses the famous medicinal resin of Gilead as a picture: if balm and a physician were available, why was the people's wound still unhealed? The phrase later became a hymn and comfort metaphor for Christ's healing.

What Hebrew words stand behind balm of Gilead?

Tsori (H6875) "balm / balsam" and Gilʿad (H1568) "Gilead" form the classic phrase. See the word study above and the Blue Letter Bible / Bible Hub lexicon links.

How can I use these verses in prayer or study?

Read Jeremiah 8:22, then one promise that God heals wounds (Jeremiah 30:17 or Hosea 6:1). Ask God for the true balm. For mercy beside healing, open Bible verses about mercy. For the Redeemer, open Bible verses about the Redeemer.

Sources

• Blue Letter Bible lexicons: H6875, H1568 (links above).
• Bible Hub Hebrew entries and Matthew Henry Concise on Jeremiah 8 and Jeremiah 46 (links above).
• Cross-links: healing, comfort, consolation of Israel, hope, grace, mercy, Redeemer, peace, repentance, holiness, providence, work, tree of life.