Anointing With Oil In The New Testament

Mark 6:13 ESV And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

James 5:14 ESV Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

The mentions of anointing with oil in the New Testament are sometimes understood to bear spiritual significance, in the same way that priests, kings, and prophets were anointed with oil in the Old Testament. However, that is not at all the case.

In the original Greek text of the New Testament, there are two words rendered “anoint” in English translations:

1. Chriō: anointing with spiritual significance.
2. Aleiphō: anointing for common purposes with no special significance.

In James 5:14, the Greek word for “anointing” is aleiphō, and not chriō. Thus, it seems that James did not have in mind anointing with spiritual significance. Rather, he was saying that the elders should not just pray for the sick, but also help to alleviate the suffering of sickness. Practical spirituality is a consistent theme throughout the Book of James.

Likewise, the Greek word for “anointed” in Mark 6:13 is aleiphō and not chriō. Thus, Jesus’ disciples were not anointing the sick with oil as if it had any spiritual significance. Rather, Jesus had probably instructed his disciples to do the same thing which James expressed in his letter: to be practical as one is prayerful.