What does 'Gilead' mean in The Raven?

Question

Poe's poem *The Raven* contains the following words in the fifteenth stanza: > [...] tell me truly, I implore— Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!" **What does 'Gilead' mean here?** I've looked it up on the internet, but [apparently](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead) the only places known as Gilead are real-life places in the Middle East - perhaps with some religious significance, but not literally Paradise. Why, then, does the narrator ask about "balm in Gilead"? What is the significance of this question put to the raven?

Answer 1

Gilead is a biblical reference (it is mentioned at least three times in the bible). The Balm of Gilead was a perfume-like substance that had medicinal purposes. Poe's allusion to the Gilead (the place/region where medicinal substances and herbs could be located for use) is a search for healing. He is asking -- is there no relief from this suffering?