Hebrew word · H5480

סוּךְ

va'asukhekh

to anoint

To rub or smear oil on the body. It is used for everyday grooming and refreshment (Ruth 3:3; Micah 6:15), for ending a time of mourning and returning to normal life (2 Sam 12:20; 2 Sam 14:2, where not oiling is a mourning sign; Dan 10:3), and, by extension, for soothing a body worn down by hardship.

Appears 9 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to anoint, pour in anointing

1a) (Qal) to anoint

1a1) to anoint oneself

1a2) to anoint (another)

1a3) to be poured

1b) (Hiphil) to anoint

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Chronicles 28:15

Range of meaning

To rub or smear oil on the body. It is used for everyday grooming and refreshment (Ruth 3:3; Micah 6:15), for ending a time of mourning and returning to normal life (2 Sam 12:20; 2 Sam 14:2, where not oiling is a mourning sign; Dan 10:3), and, by extension, for soothing a body worn down by hardship. It is distinct from מָשַׁח (mashach), the verb used for consecrating kings, priests and holy objects.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and ESV say 'anointed them'. BSB adds 'their wounds'. NIV turns it into 'healing balm'. 'Anoint' is accurate in old English, but modern readers hear something religious or ceremonial. 'Wounds' and 'healing' are interpretive additions: the Hebrew says only 'they oiled them'.

How it drifted

'Anoint' in English has narrowed toward its religious uses (consecration, the Messiah, church rites), so the ordinary bodily sense of sûḵ is lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

Throughout the ancient Near East, olive oil was a basic body-care product. It protected skin from sun and dryness, soothed abrasions, and was part of bathing and dressing (compare Ezek 16:9, where washing, oiling and clothing appear together as care for an abandoned person). The Septuagint here uses an ordinary Greek verb for oiling, not the word for sacred anointing (to the best of my knowledge of the text).

From the study of 2 Samuel 14:2

Range of meaning

To rub oil on the body or hair as part of ordinary grooming, usually after bathing. It is a cosmetic and hygienic act and a sign of well-being. It is distinct from mashach, the verb for ritually anointing kings, priests and sacred objects.

Against the English

'Anoint yourself with oil' (KJV, ESV, NASB, BSB, WEB) is accurate in form, but modern church readers hear 'anointing' as a religious act: consecration, healing, the Spirit. NIV's 'don't use any cosmetic lotions' gets the everyday sense better, at the cost of the word 'oil'.

How it drifted

In English 'anoint' survives almost only in religious use (anointed kings, 'the Anointed One', anointing the sick), so the everyday grooming sense has been lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

After his child dies, David ends his mourning by washing, oiling himself (wayyasakh, the same verb) and changing clothes (2 Sam 12:20). Naomi tells Ruth to 'wash, oil yourself, put on your clothes' (Ruth 3:3). Daniel in mourning did not oil himself for three weeks (Dan 10:3). Oil means gladness: 'oil of gladness instead of mourning' (Isa 61:3), and 'let not oil be lacking on your head' (Eccl 9:8).

From the study of Micah 6:15

Range of meaning

To rub or pour oil on the body as grooming: after bathing, to soothe skin dried by sun and wind, and to look and feel well. It is distinct from māšaḥ (H4886), the word for ritual anointing of kings, priests and sacred objects, from which 'messiah' comes.

Against the English

Most versions say 'anoint yourself/yourselves.' The English is not wrong, but 'anoint' now sounds sacred to most readers. YLT's 'pourest not out oil' loses the point that the oil is for your own body. NIV-style 'use the oil' is clearer about the everyday sense but drops the picture of oil on skin.

How it drifted

In church language 'anoint' is tied almost entirely to consecration, healing rites and the Holy Spirit. Those uses come from māšaḥ / Greek chriō, not from sûk.

Used elsewhere in the period

Not anointing yourself was a sign of mourning: Joab tells the woman of Tekoa 'do not anoint yourself with oil' so she will look like a mourner (2 Sam 14:2). Daniel in grief did not anoint himself (Dan 10:3). David anoints himself when his mourning ends (2 Sam 12:20). Ruth does so before going to Boaz (Ruth 3:3). The closest parallel is Deut 28:40: 'you will have olive trees throughout your territory, but you will not anoint yourself with oil (wəšemen lōʼ tāsûk).' Micah repeats that phrase almost word for word.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 28:40 תָס֔וּךְ you will anoint yourself

    You will have olive trees throughout your territory but will never anoint yourself with oil, because the olives will drop off.

Ruth · 1

  1. Ruth 3:3 וָסַ֗כְתְּ and you will anoint yourself

    Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 12:20 וַיָּ֗סֶךְ and he anointed himself

    Then David got up from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they set food before him, and he ate.

  2. 2 Samuel 14:2 תָּס֙וּכִי֙ you anoint yourself

    So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.

    Here: Everyday grooming: rubbing oil into skin and hair after washing. It is not the religious 'anointing' of kings and priests, which uses a different verb, mashach. Skipping it was a standard sign of grief.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 28:15 וַיְסֻכ֗וּם and they anointed them

    Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

    Here: Rubbing oil on the body. People did this to refresh dry, sun-beaten skin, to soothe sores, and to mark the end of mourning or hardship. This is the everyday verb, not the one used for consecrating kings or priests. The text does not say 'wounds'.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 16:9 וָאֲסֻכֵ֖ךְ and I anointed you

    Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.

Daniel · 2

  1. Daniel 10:3 וְס֣וֹךְ סָ֑כְתִּי and indeed <anoint>, I anointed myself

    I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 6:15 תָס֣וּךְ you will anoint yourself

    You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine.

    Here: Rubbing oil into your own skin and hair. This was everyday grooming and a sign of feeling well and glad. It is not the word for ritual anointing of kings or priests.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.