What does ἀλείφω (aleíphō) mean in the Bible?
ἀλείφω (aleiphō) means to apply oil or perfume to a person, whether for ordinary grooming, healing care, hospitality, honor, or burial-related devotion. The surrounding action supplies the meaning.
Greek · G218
ἀλείφω
To oil (with perfume)
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ἀλείφω G218
Pronunciation aleíphō
What does ἀλείφω (aleíphō) mean in the Bible?
ἀλείφω (aleiphō) means to apply oil or perfume to a person, whether for ordinary grooming, healing care, hospitality, honor, or burial-related devotion. The surrounding action supplies the meaning.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀλείφω (G218) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G218?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] anoint (1), [and] she anointed (1), and anoint (1), anoint (1), anointed [them] (1).
Where does ἀλείφω (aleíphō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:17. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (3), John (2), Mark (2), James (1).
What This Word Actually Means
ἀλείφω (aleiphō) means to apply oil or perfume to a person, whether for ordinary grooming, healing care, hospitality, honor, or burial-related devotion. The surrounding action supplies the meaning. Jesus tells those who fast to anoint the head so their discipline does not become public display. The Twelve anoint sick people with oil while healing them, and James instructs church elders to pray over the sick and anoint them in the Lord's name.
In John 12 Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly perfume, and Jesus places her action within the horizon of His burial. The verb itself is concrete rather than mystical. It does not make every use a messianic anointing or promise that oil works automatically. Its value lies in showing embodied care and honor whose theological force comes from the passage, the prayer, and Christ's own interpretation.
How the Bible Uses It
ἀλείφω names the physical application of oil or perfume in settings of grooming, healing, prayer, hospitality, and burial-oriented honor. Each passage, not the substance alone, defines the act.
- Matt.6.17
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
Jesus uses ordinary grooming to conceal fasting from public admiration. The anointing serves sincerity before the Father rather than ritual display.
- Mark.6.13
They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.
The Twelve's anointing accompanies their commissioned ministry of healing; the narrative locates efficacy in Jesus' authority and mission.
- John.12.3
Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary's embodied and costly honor is interpreted by Jesus in relation to His burial, while Judas's objection exposes a corrupt valuation of both money and Christ.
- Jas.5.14
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Anointing belongs to the elders' prayerful care in the Lord's name. The passage does not present oil as an independent mechanism.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It [and] anoint 1× Mark 16:1
[and] she anointed 1× John 12:3
and anoint 1× James 5:14
anoint 1× Matthew 6:17
anointed [them] 1× Luke 7:38
anointing [them] 1× Mark 6:13
has anointed 1× Luke 7:46
to anoint 1× John 11:2
You did not anoint 1× Luke 7:46
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 6:17 ἄλειψαί to anoint Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular Mark 6:13 ἤλειφον to anointing [them] Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Mark 16:1 ἀλείψωσιν to [and] anoint Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural Luke 7:38 ἤλειφεν to anointed [them] Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 7:46 ἤλειψας to You did not anoint Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Luke 7:46 ἤλειψεν to has anointed Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 11:2 ἀλείψασα to to anoint Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular John 12:3 ἤλειψεν to [and] she anointed Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular James 5:14 ἀλείψαντες to and anoint Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 6:17
Aligned rows 9
Books represented 5
Matthew 1 Mark 2 Luke 3 John 2 James 1
Source forms
ἤλειψεν 2x ēleipsen Luke 7:46, John 12:3
ἄλειψαί 1x aleipsai Matthew 6:17
ἀλείψαντες 1x aleipsantes James 5:14
ἀλείψασα 1x aleipsasa John 11:2
ἀλείψωσιν 1x aleipsōsin Mark 16:1
ἤλειφεν 1x ēleiphen Luke 7:38
ἤλειφον 1x ēleiphon Mark 6:13
ἤλειψας 1x ēleipsas Luke 7:46
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Luke 7:46, John 12:3
Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular 1x Matthew 6:17
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x Luke 7:46
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular 1x John 11:2
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1x James 5:14
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Mark 16:1
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Mark 6:13
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Luke 7:38
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let prayer, the Lord's name, and the passage govern anointing rather than treating oil as a mechanism of power.
- Do not infer that every costly or emotionally intense act is faithful merely because Mary's act was.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that ἀλείφω is the technical messianic-anointing verb in every context.
- Do not claim that oil guarantees healing or that failure to use oil proves deficient faith.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Anointing with fragrant oil for festive comfort or honor, distinct from religious consecration anointing.
Strong's G218
Lexical occurrences 9 verses Greek text appearances 9 times Word forms 4 forms 9 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to oil (with perfume)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 6:17 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Middle Imperative
ἄλειψαί aleiyai
I anoint
Read verse Mark 6:13 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
ἤλειφον hleifon
I anoint
Read verse Mark 16:1 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἀλείψωσιν aleiywsin
I anoint
Read verse Luke 7:38 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἤλειφε hleifen
I anoint
Read verse Luke 7:46 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἤλειψας· hleiyav
I anoint
Read verse Luke 7:46 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἤλειψέ hleiyen
I anoint
Read verse John 11:2 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀλείψασα aleiyasa
I anoint
Read verse John 12:3 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἤλειψε hleiyen
I anoint
Read verse James 5:14 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀλείψαντες aleiyantev
I anoint
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 9 Tenses Aorist, Imperfect Voices Active, Middle
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 5×
Aorist Active Luke 7:46 · John 12:3 3×
Imperfect Active Mark 6:13 · Luke 7:38 2×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Middle Matt 6:17 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active Mark 16:1 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 2×
Aorist Active John 11:2 · Jas 5:14 2×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 9 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 7 imperfect 2
Voice
active 8 middle 1
Mood
indicative 5 participle 2 subjunctive 1 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 6:17 ἄλειψαί aorist middle imperative imperative Mark 6:13 ἤλειφον imperfect active indicative background Mark 16:1 ἀλείψωσιν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Luke 7:38 ἤλειφεν imperfect active indicative background Luke 7:46 ἤλειψας aorist active indicative completed Luke 7:46 ἤλειψεν aorist active indicative completed John 11:2 ἀλείψασα aorist active participle participle John 12:3 ἤλειψεν aorist active indicative completed James 5:14 ἀλείψαντες aorist active participle participle
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
ἀλείφω is built from these roots:
λιπαρός G3045
For the Preacher and Teacher
ἀλείφω keeps interpretation close to bodies, relationships, and concrete actions. In Matthew 6, anointing the head is ordinary self-care that prevents fasting from becoming religious theater. In Mark 6, oil accompanies the disciples' healing ministry under Jesus' commission. James 5 places anointing within the elders' prayer, the Lord's name, confession, and restoration of the sick.
John 12 presents a distinct act: Mary pours costly perfume on Jesus' feet, wipes them with her hair, and fills the house with fragrance. Jesus, not the market value or later symbolism, gives the act its burial horizon. These passages do not authorize one universal technique. They show that material actions can serve sincere devotion and compassionate care when governed by God's word.
Oil does not control God, cost does not prove wisdom, and public intensity does not establish spiritual power.
Anchor passage
John.12.1-8
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 6:16-18 - hidden devotion seeks the Father's approval
- Mark 6:7-13 - anointing accompanies commissioned healing ministry
- John 12:1-8 - Mary's costly honor is interpreted in light of Jesus' burial
- James 5:13-18 - elders pray and anoint in the Lord's name
- Luke 7:36-50 - anointing can express hospitable love and forgiven devotion
ἀλείφω normally describes applying oil or perfume and should be distinguished from χρίω, which often carries commissioning or consecration associations. The lexical distinction is not absolute in every period, but it prevents interpreters from importing royal or messianic anointing into each occurrence.
From Old to New Testament
Oil in the Old Testament serves ordinary care, hospitality, healing, burial, consecration, and royal or priestly appointment. New Testament uses of ἀλείφω participate in parts of that material world without carrying every consecration theme. Mary's act is tied specifically to Jesus' burial by His own words.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain