In the Old Testament, the balm of Gilead is a healing compound, symbolizing spiritual medicine for Israel and sinners.
The 1973 edition of the Primitive Baptist songbook Harp of Ages features "Balm in Gilead" with verses from a Charles Wesley hymn.
The 1973 edition of 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".
[3] The second verse quoted below ("If you can't...") is also found in some versions of another well-known spiritual "(Walk That) Lonesome Valley".
"Wandering verses", as they are often called, are quite common in the camp meeting and revival context, and were already found in by 1800 in the African-American community, as shown by Richard Allen's 1801 A Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs Selected from Various Authors.