Anointing Oil

​Mark 6:13—“And they cast out many demons and ‘healed’ many sick people, anointing them with ‘olive oil’.” NLT (Emphasis my own.)

​I paused my quiet time, because I wondered if that was an accurate translation of the text…so I dug further. I found that of the 24 translations I checked, only TWO called the anointing oil, OLIVE OIL. The other 22 simply called it OIL.
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As we know, the Word of God wasn’t written in English, so men throughout the ages have been trying to decipher it from the original text—Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. Some words don’t have a direct translation to English, and other times, there are numerous translations from one word. In either case, we are often left to determine what the writer meant. In this situation, I’m siding with the 22, and here’s why:

I navigate to Biblehub.com and key in my verse, Mark 6:13. Many English versions of the verse appear. But I’m not looking for the English translation—I want the Greek. So I click on the Greek tab and scroll down to “with oil” (elaio). Just as I expect, the word “olive” is nowhere to be found.

When I click on “healed them” (etherapeuon), I find exactly what I was expecting…the Greek word itself–eTHERAPEuon. See that word “therapy” or “therapeutic” peeking out? Mystery solved. This was not olive oil—a food grade and carrier oil. This was a therapeutic grade oil that historically was used as their medicine—an ESSENTIAL OIL.

There are over 500 references to essential oils or the plants that produce them found in scripture, and this is what ignited my passion for essential oils. In our home, we use them aromatically, topically and internally. We also use them in cleaning, beauty regimens, hair care, skin care, pet care, food prep, DIY and more.

I’d love to share how you can create Biblical beauty, health and wellness in your own home.
For more information, or one-on-one training: Contact me at rachelleenc(at)yahoo.com

Click HERE to purchase oils or join the Leaves for Medicine team. Upon receipt, we will follow up with you personally to guide you in using essential oils with your family.

© Rachel Lee Carter, LeavesforMedicine.com