"spikenard, a species of aromatic plant with grassy leaves and a fibrous root, of which the best and strongest grows in India; in NT oil of spikenard, an oil extracted from the plant, which was highly prized and used as an ointment either pure or mixed with other substances, Mk. 1..."
Definition and meaning
spikenard, a species of aromatic plant with grassy leaves and a fibrous root, of which the best and strongest grows in India; in NT oil of spikenard, an oil extracted from the plant, which was highly prized and used as an ointment either pure or mixed with other substances, Mk. 14:3; Jn. 12:3*
In the original Greek the word is written: νάρδος
Historical context
The Gospel of Mark moves urgently — the word "immediately" appears over 40 times. It was written for a Roman audience familiar with power and action. Jesus is portrayed as a man who acts, heals, and commands authority that the Roman world had never seen from a Jewish teacher.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of nardos (G3487) across the King James Bible.
And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
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Common questions
Strong's G3487 (nardos) is a Greek word that means: spikenard, a species of aromatic plant with grassy leaves and a fibrous root, of which the best and strongest grows in India; in NT oil of spikenard, an oil extracted from the plant, which was highly ... It appears 2 times in the King James Bible.
The word nardos (G3487) appears 2 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3487 is nardos, a Greek word defined as: spikenard, a species of aromatic plant with grassy leaves and a fibrous root, of which the best and strongest grows in India; in NT oil of spikenard, . James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
nardos is a Greek word found in the New Testament.