Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

OIL, OINTMENT

Most of the oil noted in the Bible is olive oil. Extracting the oil from the berry varied from place to place and time to time. Yet the basics are clear. Olives were harvested between September and December. Earlier in the season olives were green; later the olive turned black and the oil content increased. Oil extraction required the berries to be bruised or crushed. This was done by tramping on them with the feet (Mic. 6:15), pounding them in a mortar, or pressing them with a large stone. The olive pulp was then placed in open-weave baskets with plenty of spaces for the oil to seep through. This first extraction was the most valuable and was used with food, for religious use (Exod. 29:40), and for trade (1 Kgs. 5:11[MT 25]). The remaining pulp was heated and then placed in a vat. By using a lever, beam, and heavy stones the oil was pressed from the pulp. This second extraction, and even a third extraction, produced a type of oil that was commonly used for oil lamps and other household use. Mills were used for very large quantities of olives. These mills included a rather large circular stone basin (up to 2.5 m. [8 ft.] in diameter) in which the olives were placed. Then a heavy vertical stone wheel was rotated around the basin to crush the olives. One or two people or an animal turned the stone by pushing a bar around a pivot.

The use of olive oil was extensive. Olive oil, wine, and grain were the three most important agricultural products of the Promised Land (Deut. 7:13). Olives and olive oil were staples in the diet and were served at almost every meal. Bread was commonly eaten with olive oil. It, and rarely other oils such as castor oil and sesame oil, took the place of butter and animal fat. It was mixed with meal to make cakes or bread (1 Kgs. 17:12-16), and it was often mentioned with other food such as fine flour (Lev. 2:1-4), wine (Rev. 6:6), and honey (Ezek. 16:13).

Because olive oil burned brightly without much of an odor or smell, it was used in oil lamps for illumination. First-grade olive oil was used for the continual light in the tabernacle (Exod. 27:20) and provided the light in the temple candelabrum (25:6). It was used to anoint kings (1 Sam. 16:1-13; 2 Kgs. 9:1-3), priests (Exod. 29:7-35; Lev. 8:12), a prophet (Isa. 61:1), stelae (Gen. 28:18), as well as the tabernacle and its contents (Exod. 30:23-29). Oil was used in purification rituals (Lev. 14:10-29), food offerings (Exod. 29:40), meal offerings (Lev. 2), and with animal sacrifices (Num. 15:1-16).

Oil was used widely in the ancient Near East to anoint the body. It was a protection from sunburn and flies, and it kept the skin soft. The oil was applied to the body after bathing (Ruth 3:3), but in times of mourning no oil was used (2 Sam. 14:2; cf. 12:20). Guests had their feet washed and their heads anointed with oil (Luke 7:46). Oil was used on bruises, sores, and wounds (Isa. 1:6), and the sick were anointed with oil (Mark 6:13). Elders of the Church prayed for the sick and anointed them (Jas. 5:14). The Good Samaritan poured oil and wine on the wounds of the beaten traveler (Luke 10:34).

Because of its unique importance olive oil was frequently exported. The largest trading partner was Phoenicia. Solomon gave Hiram of Tyre ca. 435 thousand l. (115 thousand gal.) of oil in exchange for assistance in building the temple (1 Kgs. 5:11[25]). In both Egypt and Mesopotamia little or no olive oil was produced, and it had to be imported as a luxury item. Israel supplied at least some of it (Hos. 12:1[2]). It was also a good cash crop within the country (2 Kgs. 4:7; Luke 16:6).

Oil was a symbol of prosperity (Deut. 32:13), hospitality (Ps. 23:5), and joy (45:7[8]). The words of deceit were softer than oil (Ps. 55:21[22]), as was the speech of a loose woman (Prov. 5:3).

The OT does not distinguish between oil and ointment, which is not surprising since olive oil was a part of most ointments. Various spices were used with olive oil to make perfumes and ointments. These included myrrh (Esth. 2:12; Matt. 2:11), nard (Mark 14:3), balsam or balm (Gen. 37:25; Jer. 8:22), and aloes (Ps. 45:8[9]; John 19:39). Alabaster or glass flasks or jars were used to hold the ointment.

Ointments were used in religious ceremonies (Exod. 30:22-25), in preparation for burial (Luke 23:56), for protection of the skin and beautification (Esth. 2:3, 9, 12), and in the hospitality for a guest (Luke 7:46).

Bibliography. R. Frankel, S. Avitsur, and E. Ayalon, History and Technology of Olive Oil in the Holy Land (Arlington, 1994).

James C. Moyer

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

OIL, OINTMENT

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)