OIL IN THE BIBLE

Key Vocabulary

During the OT era, the three Hebrew words used for “oil” were yitshar, meshach, and shemen – almost always referring to olive oil. In addition, these words were sometimes modified with adjectives to indicate the grade of oil . There were basically two grades: (1) fine, or beaten, oil and (2) ordinary oil. We today would call the first type “virgin olive oil,” prepared from the first extraction of the seed by mild pressure. The ordinary oil was then made from further pressing and heat treatment.

Moving to the New Testament, the sole Greek word employed is elaion, which “properly refers to the oil of the olive, which was by far the commonest form of oil in use in the ancient world, though it was occasionally used for other oily substances.” (France)

Uses

The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery counts nearly 200 references to oil in the Bible. “These references cluster at two ends of a continuum: some of the uses of oil were everyday and common, while others were special and even sacred.” On the common side, we would have to list the following:

Food – The trio of staple crops “grain, wine and oil” appears a number of times in the Bible, both OT and NT (Deuteronomy 28:51; II Chronicles 32:28; Revelation 6:6, etc.). Its use in baking is mentioned in Numbers 11:8.

Milgrom notes, “Olive oil was used in place of butter in cooking vegetables...It is associated with joy..., at festive meals...but avoided in times of mourning (2 Sam 14:2; Dan 10:3) and solemnity, such as on the Day of Atonement...”

“Cakes or bread might be coated with olive oil before cooking and so come out glossy brown. Cakes made with oil are different from wafers anointed with oil (Exod 29:2). In either case, though, the enjoyment would be enhanced over dry bread.” (Ross) Anyone who has eaten at a good Italian restaurant will confirm this last statement.

Item of Commerce – It was a key export for Israel (I Kings 5:25; Revelation 18:11-13). Tellingly, in the latter reference, the various trade items are listed in descending order of their perceived worth at the time. Oil is 21^st in a list of 28, with human lives being considered the least important. (Beale)

Skin Softener – “In a climate where dry skin was a problem, especially for travelers, anointing with oil was a refreshment.” (DBI) Similarly, application to leather was employed to help keep it supple (II Samuel 1:21).

Healing – The use of oil on skin softened wounds. Mann explains the association of oil with healing found in the NT (James 5:15; Luke 10:34; Mark 6:13) as follows: “The contemporary practice may have involved the symbolic use of oil in connection with healing rites” referring to the widespread use of oil as a healing emollient. France adds that its use associated with miraculous occurrences is symbolic “of the protection and blessing of God on the patient.” But James stresses that it is the prayer of faith that will heal, not the oil itself.

Fuel – Oil was the main fuel burned in lamps of the time.

The less commonplace uses of oil include:

Ointments and Perfumes – France notes that the word “semen can also denote a fragrant ointment compounded from various spices with olive oil as its base.”

Cosmetics – This usage is indicated in passages such as II Samuel 14:2; Psalm 104:15; and Proverbs 27:9. Oswalt: “to be able to put on oil was apparently considered an integral part of looking and being at one's best (Ruth 3:3, etc.).”

Ritual Sacrifices – For example, oil was mixed with the cereal offerings, according to Numbers 28, Leviticus 14, etc. It used to be felt that these grain or cereal offerings were an accommodation for those too poor to afford animal sacrifices, but the contexts in the Pentateuch passages indicate that was not the case. Wenham explains, “The cereal offering is a kind of tribute from the faithful worshipper to his divine overlord.”

As described in Leviticus 4, it was “applied in five different ways: pouring (v 1), mixing (v 4), smearing (v 4), 'in,' that is, frying (v 7), or adding (v 15).” (Milgrom)

Anointing – France explains that the following were anointed with fragrant oil (containing spices) to indicate an investing on them of authority: priests (Exodus 29:7), kings (I Samuel 10:11), and prophets (I Kings 19:16). In addition, anointing oil was used to consecrate the tabernacle and its vessels (Exodus 40:9) and stones of commemeration (Genesis 28:18; 35:14). Also, anointing the head with oil was a common practice at any festive event (Luke 7:46). Finally, as Way points out, “the whole nation, in its prophetic role, is said to be anointed (1 Chron 16:19-22).”

Two of the above uses come together in Micah 6 where God first expresses His displeasure with the sacrifices of oil offered by the people (v. 7) and then threatens that they may make olive oil but they will not be allowed to enjoy it (v. 15).

Figurative Language

“The anointing oil is referred to as 'oil of gladness,' [see Psalm 45:7 and Isaiah 61:3] in keeping with the joyousness of the occasion.” (DBI) France adds that it was especially used as a cosmetic for banquets (Amos 6:6).

The proverb “A good name is better than good oil (Ecclesiastes 7:1)” contains a play on words in Hebrew. Thus, name = sem; oil = semen.

“The presence of the Spirit is sometimes linked to anointing with oil (1 Sam 10:1-17; 16:13; Isa 61:1-3).” (Way) Oil in lamps was a symbol of the Holy Spirit, according to Vine. (Matthew 25:,3,4,8)

But oil does not always have such positive connotations. For example, Psalm 55:21 talks about a deceitful companion “with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords (NRSV).” We still today talk about oily characters who aren't to be trusted. The distaff side is not free, however, from equal criticism in the Wisdom Literature. In Proverbs 5:3, the loose woman is also characterized as having words that are smoother than oil.

Verses of Special Interest

Deuteronomy 32:13

Moses poetically recalls the ways God had sustained Israel under the most trying conditions by saying that He fed him “with oil from the flinty rock.” Craigie cites Isaiah 43 for the same thought and says that Deut. 32:13 “may refer to olive trees growing in places otherwise bereft of fruit-growing trees.” In other words, even “infertile places would be rich in produce in God's land.” In general, the idea of obtaining oil from rock is “an image of fertility or prosperity.” (DBI) This imagery also appears in Job 29:6.

Deuteronomy 33:24

This verse is part of Moses' blessings on the twelve tribes. Concerning Asher, he says, “may he be the favorite of his brothers and may he dip his foot in oil.” The only reason I mention this verse is because of the way it has been misused in recent years. The intended meaning is well expressed by Mayes as “an image of extravagant prosperity. Asher was established on rich land along the coastline” ideal for growing olive trees.

In marked contrast, representatives of more than one drilling outfit have convinced Christian investors to pour money into schemes to find huge promised crude oil reserves in Israel in the region once assigned to the tribe of Asher. Those attempts began decades ago and have yielded nothing but a little natural gas. Of course, if they had just looked at the Hebrew word for “oil” in this passage, they would have realized that it had little to do with crude oil.

The only Hebrew words applied to petroleum products were kaper, zepet and hemar, which all “refer to the same basic naturally occurring substance.” (Carpenter) This substance was bitumen (tar), which could be found in certain pits on the surface of the earth and “was produced by the decomposition of vegetable and animal matter under water.” (Wakely). See Genesis 14:10 for a biblical reference to one such pit. Or, if you are even more interested you can go to Los Angeles and visit the LaBrea Tar Pits.

Job 24:11

The verb tsahar is found only here in the OT, and so its exact meaning is uncertain. On the one hand, it may be derived from the common word for oil, yitshar, and thus mean “to press out oil.” Alternatively, Marvin Pope proposes that “it might also be connected with the noun sohar, 'zenith' in the sense of 'do [something] at high noon.'”

Job 29:6

Hartley: “This imagery refers either to the olive trees growing on the rocky hillside or to the olive presses, made out of stone and set up in orchards, flowing with oil.” Personally, I feel that it is simply an example of hyperbole for plenty, as seen in the parallel line “My feet were bathed in milk.”

Ezekiel 32:14

Right in the middle of an extended section of denunciations and judgments on Egypt, we come upon this statement that “Then I will let the waters settle and make their rivers flow like oil.” Block rightly notes that this reference “is puzzling in this context.” He feels that somehow it must mean that when Egypt is without inhabitants, that will mean peace for the nations. A slightly different explanation is given by Greenberg, who says that “Egypt's inhabitants/pharaoh abused the gift of the river – they muddied it – and with their destruction the river will regain its pristine peace.” In either case, there is a contrast to the muddying of the river in v. 2 since the surface of flowing oil is usually undisturbed and smooth.

Hosea 12:1

In this verse, Israel is criticized for making political agreements with other nations. As part of these covenants, oil was given to them. This may have been a custom of the time (Andersen and Freedman) or as part of an inducement on Israel's part suggesting future commerce with those nations since Israel's oil was highly prized by other nations for its quality (Dearmann).

Hebrews 1:9

This verse is “with reference to Christ, no doubt with the thought of his 'anointing' for his messianic task.” (France) This is in keeping with the common practice of anointing kings at their coronation.

However, F.F. Bruce says, “His anointing with 'the oil of gladness' refers not so much to His official inauguration as Messiah...as to the joy with which God has blessed Him in acknowledgment of His vindication of divine justice.” In addition, oil was associated with joyous events in general, as witnessed by Isaiah 61:3 where it is said that God will give to those who are sad in Zion “the oil of gladness instead of mourning.”