“All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 45:8 Mean?
The royal bridegroom's garments are perfumed with the most expensive fragrances available: myrrh (precious resin), aloes (aromatic wood), and cassia (a spice related to cinnamon). The scent comes from ivory palaces — the most luxurious settings in the ancient world. And the effect: they have made thee glad. The fragrance produces gladness.
Psalm 45 is a royal wedding song applied to the Messiah by Hebrews 1:8-9. The garments that smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia are the King's wedding clothes. The fragrance isn't functional (covering odor). It's celebratory (expressing joy). The King smells like celebration.
Myrrh was used for anointing, embalming, and worship. Aloes were burned as incense. Cassia was a priestly anointing ingredient (Exodus 30:24). Together, they represent the full aromatic range of sacred use: anointing, incense, and priestly consecration. The King wears all three.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the image of Christ as a fragrant King (smelling like myrrh, aloes, and cassia) change your picture of His return?
- 2.How do the three fragrances (anointing, worship, priestly consecration) describe different dimensions of who Christ is?
- 3.What does the connection between fragrance and gladness teach about the joy of the King?
- 4.Does the wedding context (a King coming to claim His bride) make this Psalm feel personal?
Devotional
His clothes smell like myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces. And the fragrance makes Him glad.
The King's garments aren't just beautiful. They're fragrant. The three most expensive aromatics in the ancient world — myrrh (precious resin), aloes (aromatic wood), cassia (priestly spice) — perfume His wedding clothes. He doesn't just look royal. He smells like heaven.
The fragrances carry meaning: myrrh is for anointing and burial (Jesus received myrrh at birth and at death). Aloes are for incense and worship (the fragrance that rises to God). Cassia is for priestly consecration (part of the holy anointing oil in Exodus 30). The King wears all three: anointed, worship-fragrant, and priestly. He carries every sacred aroma on His person.
"Out of the ivory palaces" — the source of the fragrance is the most luxurious place imaginable. Ivory palaces in the ancient world were the pinnacle of wealth and beauty. The King comes from the most beautiful place, wearing the most beautiful scents, to the most beautiful event (His wedding).
"Whereby they have made thee glad" — the fragrance produces gladness. Not the throne. Not the power. The fragrance. The King's joy comes from the aroma — from being anointed, consecrated, and perfumed for the celebration.
When Christ returns — the ultimate fulfillment of this Psalm — He'll arrive fragrant. Not with the smell of battle (though Revelation 19 describes warrior garments). With the aroma of myrrh and cassia and gladness. The King who comes to claim His bride smells like celebration.
And the bride? She's been waiting. And when He arrives — from the ivory palaces, wearing garments that smell like heaven — she'll know: the wedding has begun.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,.... Either his human nature, as anointed with the oil of…
All thy garments smell of myrrh - The word “smell” is not in the original. The literal translation would be, “Myrrh, and…
We have here the royal bridegroom filling his throne with judgment and keeping his court with splendour.
I. He here…
The bridegroom appears, arrayed for the marriage, his garments saturated with costly perfumes, brought from distant…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture