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Oil and anointing
Ordinary olive oil, and the act that set people apart for God.
What the text teaches
To anoint someone was to pour oil on their head and so mark them out as chosen for a task God had given. Samuel anoints Saul and then David, and in David's case Scripture says rushed upon him from forward (1 Samuel 16:13), tying the outward act to God's inward work.
Because were anointed, one becomes a title. Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek both mean exactly that, so every time the New Testament says Jesus Christ it is saying Jesus the anointed King.
What it actually was
Olive oil was one of the staples of life in Israel, alongside grain and wine. It was food, lamp fuel, medicine and cosmetic, so it was in every house rather than being an exotic religious substance.
The oil used in was different. Exodus 30 gives a recipe with myrrh, cinnamon, cane and cassia, and forbids anyone making the same blend for personal use. The everyday thing was taken and set apart, which is the whole idea of in one object.
How it worked
Oil was poured, not dabbed. Psalm 133 pictures it running down Aaron's beard and onto the collar of his robes, which tells you the quantity involved.
It marked , and occasionally prophets. Aaron and his sons are anointed at their consecration (Leviticus 8:12), Saul, David and Solomon are anointed as , and Elijah is told to anoint Elisha in his place (1 Kings 19:16).
In daily life oil was used on the skin against sun and dryness, offered to guests as hospitality, and rubbed onto the sick. Fasting and mourning meant leaving it off, which is why Jesus tells fasting disciples to anoint their heads and wash their faces so nobody can tell (Matthew 6:17).
Oil also went onto the dead. The woman who pours ointment on Jesus is told by Him that she has done it for His burial (Mark 14:8), and the women come to the tomb with spices for the same purpose.
Why it mattered in Israel
Anointing was how Israel knew that authority came from God rather than from strength or popularity. David refuses twice to lift his hand against Saul, not because Saul deserves protection but because he is the LORD's anointed (1 Samuel 24:6).
It also carried the nation's hope. When the failed one after another, the promise of an anointed one to come was the thread people held onto, and it is the question on everyone's lips in the Gospels.
Why God chose this picture
Because oil pictures the Spirit without pretending to be Him. The pouring is visible, it soaks in, it spreads, and it happens to a person rather than being achieved by them. Acts 10:38 puts the two together: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the and with power.
Because it takes something ordinary and sets it apart, which is what God does with people. Nothing about the oil changed chemically. It changed by being designated, and so does a life given to God.
Because it teaches gladness alongside duty. Hebrews 1:9 quotes the psalm about God anointing the Son with the oil of gladness beyond His companions, so the office is never only a burden.
First in Scripture
Genesis 28:18. Jacob pours oil on the stone at Bethel after his dream, the first anointing in Scripture, marking a place where God had met him.
Verses to carry with you
- Exodus 30:30-32. The holy anointing oil, and the ban on copying it for ordinary use.
- 1 Samuel 16:13. Samuel anoints David and the Spirit rushes on him.
- Psalm 23:5. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
- Isaiah 61:1. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me.
The original language
מָשַׁח
The verb behind mashiach, the anointed one, which comes into English as Messiah. The plainness of the verb, to smear with oil, is a reminder that the greatest title in the Old Testament comes from an ordinary household action.
χριστός
The Greek rendering of mashiach. Christ is a title before it is ever used as a name, so Peter's confession in Matthew 16:16 is a claim about kingship, not a form of address.
Historical and cultural background
Olive cultivation and oil presses were central to the economy of ancient Israel, and stone presses have been excavated widely across the region. History
Where this comes from
Through the whole Bible
Jacob anoints the stone at Bethel and again on his return (Genesis 28:18, 35:14).
The holy anointing oil is prescribed, and and the tabernacle furnishings are anointed (Exodus 30:22-33, Leviticus 8).
Saul, David and Solomon are anointed, and the LORD's anointed becomes a protected title (1 Samuel 10:1, 16:13, 24:6).
one is set against the raging nations in Psalm 2, and Isaiah 61 describes a Spirit anointed servant with good news for the poor.
Jesus claims Isaiah 61 in Nazareth, and is anointed at Bethany for His burial.
Believers are anointed and sealed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 1 John 2:20, 27).
Where this appears across the Bible
Audela traces oil and anointing through 20 chapters in 15 books, from Genesis to 1 John. One of them has a full chapter study here.
Old Testament
Jacob pours oil on the stone at Bethel after his dream, the first anointing in Scripture, marking a place where God had met him.
The holy anointing oil, and the ban on copying it for ordinary use.
The holy anointing oil is prescribed, and priests and the tabernacle furnishings are anointed (Exodus 30:22-33, Leviticus 8).
Saul, David and Solomon are anointed, and the LORD's anointed becomes a protected title (1 Samuel 10:1, 16:13, 24:6).
Samuel anoints David and the Spirit rushes on him.
The anointed one is set against the raging nations in Psalm 2, and Isaiah 61 describes a Spirit anointed servant with good news for the poor.
You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Precious oil running down the beard, a picture of unity.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me.
New Testament
Isaiah 61 claimed and fulfilled.
God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.
Believers are anointed and sealed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 1 John 2:20, 27).
Believers are anointed and sealed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 1 John 2:20, 27).
Cross references
- Exodus 30:22-33. The holy oil and why it could not be imitated.
- 1 Samuel 16:1-13. The anointing of David, and what God looks at.
- Psalm 2:2. The kings set themselves against the LORD and His anointed.
- Psalm 133:2. Precious oil running down the beard, a picture of unity.
- Luke 4:18-21. Isaiah 61 claimed and fulfilled.
- Acts 10:38. God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.
- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. God anoints us and gives the Spirit as a guarantee.
- 1 John 2:20, 27. You have been anointed by the Holy One.
How it points to Christ
The Old Testament anoints three kinds of people: prophets, and . Jesus holds all three offices, and Acts 10:38 says the anointing was not oil but the , given at His baptism when the heavens opened.
That is why His title is not decoration. Calling Him Christ is saying that the long line of anointed men who all failed has ended in one who does not, and Hebrews 1:9 says He is anointed with the oil of gladness beyond His companions.
Teaching on the subject
Psalm 23:5 is often read as a soothing image, but 's oil in that verse is care in a hostile setting. A table is spread in the presence of enemies, and the guest is anointed as an honoured guest would be, in full view of the people who wish him harm.
Luke 4 is the hinge for the whole theme. Jesus stands in the synagogue at Nazareth, reads Isaiah 61 about the Spirit anointing Him to preach good news to the poor, sits down and says today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:18-21). He is claiming the anointing in front of people who watched Him grow up.
And then the last anointing before comes from a woman with a jar worth a year's wages (John 12:3-7). The is anointed, but for burial, and Jesus defends her when the room objects to the waste.
Often misunderstood
Scripture treats the oil as a sign of God's choice and His Spirit, never as a substance with power. Simon in Acts 8 tries to buy the power he sees and is rebuked sharply, and James 5:14 sets anointing inside prayer and the Lord's own raising up of the sick.
David was anointed and then hunted for years before he reigned, and one of Isaiah 61 is the same servant who is despised and rejected in Isaiah 53. God's choice and immediate comfort are not the same thing.
Living this today
If you belong to Christ, 1 John 2:20 says you have an anointing from the Holy One. Read Scripture this week expecting the Spirit to teach you, rather than assuming understanding belongs to specialists.
Anointing set people apart for work God had given. Name the one God has actually put in your hands right now and treat it as holy ground, not as a placeholder until something bigger arrives.
Related people, places, events and themes
Related chapters
1 Samuel 16, Psalm 2, Isaiah 61, Luke 4
Sources and evidence
References
Sources behind the background and language notes
Explore the passage
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What this reveals about God
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What does this word in Scripture teach about God?
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What does this word in Scripture reveal about God's character?
Look for the words the text itself uses of Him: holy, merciful, faithful, jealous, patient. Take the text's own vocabulary rather than your own.
What this reveals about us
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What does this word in Scripture teach about humanity?
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Where this arrives in Christ
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What does this word in Scripture reveal about Jesus Christ?
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What does this word in Scripture reveal about salvation?
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The world behind the words
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How would the original audience have understood this word in Scripture?
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What historical or cultural background helps explain this word in Scripture?
Look at the work, the worship, the law and the customs the text assumes you already understand.
What do these words carry in the original: מָשַׁח, χριστός?
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How this connects to the rest of Scripture
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Which Old and New Testament passages help explain this word in Scripture?
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What this asks of you
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What does this word in Scripture teach believers to do today?
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Questions Audela will not answer
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The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.
- Ask instead: What does the passage say God did, and what does that reveal about His character?
- Ask instead: What has God told us about His purpose here, in this text or elsewhere in Scripture?
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Studies standing on the same passages
How this connects across Audela
Scripture teaches one story, so Audela is one library. These are the pages standing on the same passages, themes, doctrines and people as this one.
Same passage
- You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemiesBoth pages teach Psalm 23:5, so they stand on the same text.
- Messiah and ChristBoth pages teach 1 Samuel 16:13, so they stand on the same text.
- RighteousnessBoth pages teach Isaiah 61, so they stand on the same text.
- Son of GodBoth pages teach Psalm 2, so they stand on the same text.
Same chapter
- Psalm 23: The LORD Our ShepherdBoth stand in 1 Samuel 16, at different points in the chapter.
- Covenant faithfulnessBoth stand in Psalm 23, at different points in the chapter.
- Divine guidanceBoth stand in Psalm 23, at different points in the chapter.
- Does "I shall not want" mean Christians will never lack anything?Both stand in Psalm 23, at different points in the chapter.
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