"There Is A Balm in Gilead" is a traditional African American spiritual. In the Old Testament, Gilead was the name of the mountainous region east of the Jordan River. This region was known for having skillful physicians and an ointment made from the gum of a tree particular to that area. Many believed that this balm had miraculous powers to heal the body. In the Old Testament, the balm of Gilead is taken most directly from Jeremiah chapter 8 v. 22:         "Is there no balm in Gilead?         Is there no physician there?         Why then is there no healing for the wounds of my people?" The first appearance of the spiritual in something close to its current form is uncertain. A version of the refrain can be found in Washington Glass's 1854 hymn "The Sinner's Cure". The 1925 7-shape Primitive Baptist songbook Harp of Ages has an unattributed song "Balm in Gilead" with a similar chorus, but verses drawn from a Charles Wesley hymn "Father I Stretch My Hands to Thee". It has been published in 77 hymnals and is #737 in ELCA's With One Voice.