Aloes

Aloes in the Old Testament refers not to the succulent plant known today by that name, but to a fragrant heartwood derived from the Aquilaria tree (eagle wood or lign aloes), native to India and Southeast Asia. This aromatic wood was highly prized in the ancient Near East as a perfume. It appears in Numbers 24:6 as a simile for Israel's encampments; in Psalm 45:8 and Proverbs 7:17 as a scent applied to garments; and in Song of Solomon 4:14 among the spices of the beloved's garden.

In the New Testament, Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes — about a hundred pounds — to prepare Jesus's body for burial (John 19:39), reflecting both the costliness of the preparation and the depth of Nicodemus's devotion, demonstrated openly at the moment of greatest apparent defeat.