מָשַׁח
ma.shach
to anoint
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Mashach (H4886): Anointing in Ancient Israel The Hebrew verb *mashach* appears 70 times throughout the biblical text and carries the fundamental meaning "to anoint"—the act of rubbing or pouring oil onto a person or object. This physical action served as a formal ritual gesture in ancient Israelite practice, typically involving the application of oil to the head or body of the recipient. Given its frequency of occurrence across the biblical corpus, *mashach* evidently held consistent practical and symbolic importance in Israelite life and religious practice. The verb's regular use across multiple biblical texts indicates it was a recognized and standardized procedure rather than an incidental action. The specific contexts in which this anointing occurred—though not detailed in the lexicon data provided—would have conferred particular meaning and significance upon those who underwent the ritual, marking them for specific roles or statuses within the community. The enduring presence of this term across biblical literature underscores that anointing was not a peripheral practice but a meaningful ritual action in ancient Israelite religious and political life. The consistency of its usage patterns suggests that audiences of these texts would have immediately recognized *mashach* as signaling an important ceremonial moment, though understanding its full significance requires consulting the specific passages where this verb appears.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
70 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he went to Joram; for when he had come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to cut off Ahab’s house.
2 Chronicles 23:11Then they brought out the king’s son, and put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, “Long live the king!”
Psalms 45:7You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
Psalms 89:20I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,
Isaiah 21:5They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!
Isaiah 61:1The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound,
Jeremiah 22:14who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself; with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red.
Daniel 9:24“Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
Amos 6:6who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
Genesis 31:13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.’ ”
Exodus 28:41You shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
Exodus 29:2unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
Exodus 29:7Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him.
Exodus 29:36Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it. You shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
Exodus 30:26You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant,
Exodus 30:30You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
Exodus 40:9“You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy.
Exodus 40:10You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy.
Exodus 40:11You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.
Exodus 40:13You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.
Exodus 40:15You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”
Exodus 40:15You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”
Leviticus 2:4“ ‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
Leviticus 6:20“This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer to Yahweh in the day when he is anointed: one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.
Leviticus 7:12If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil.
Leviticus 7:36which Yahweh commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout their generations.
Leviticus 8:10Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them.
Leviticus 8:11He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them.
Leviticus 8:12He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
Leviticus 16:32The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father’s place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments.
Numbers 3:3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.
Numbers 6:15a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their meal offering and their drink offerings.
Numbers 7:1On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them;
Numbers 7:1On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them;
Numbers 7:10The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed. The princes gave their offerings before the altar.
Numbers 7:84This was the dedication offering of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden ladles;
Numbers 7:88and all the cattle for the sacrifice of peace offerings: twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering of the altar, after it was anointed.
Numbers 35:25The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
Judges 9:8The trees set out to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
Judges 9:15“The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
1 Samuel 9:16“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.”
1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?
1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?
1 Samuel 15:1Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of Yahweh’s words.
1 Samuel 15:17Samuel said, “Though you were little in your own sight, weren’t you made the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh anointed you king over Israel;
1 Samuel 16:3Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint to me him whom I name to you.”
1 Samuel 16:12He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance. Yahweh said, “Arise! Anoint him, for this is he.”
1 Samuel 16:13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
2 Samuel 2:4The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”
2 Samuel 2:7Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.”