שֶׁ֫מֶן
she.men (H8081)
oil
AI Word Study
# Šemen: Oil in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew word *šemen* (שֶׁמֶן) refers to oil and appears 193 times throughout the biblical text, making it a frequently referenced substance. Its high frequency of occurrence suggests that oil held considerable practical and cultural importance in ancient Israelite society. The term carries a straightforward material meaning—referring to the liquid fat substance extracted from plants or animals—without apparent metaphorical extensions encoded in the lemma itself. The sheer number of occurrences (193) indicates that oil was woven into multiple dimensions of biblical life and practice. This prevalence suggests the word was used across diverse contexts: domestic consumption, religious ritual, medicinal application, and commercial activity. The consistent use of a single lemma across all these contexts indicates that ancient Hebrew speakers understood "oil" as a unified concept regardless of its specific application, yet the frequency of mention implies it was indispensable enough to warrant repeated discussion across biblical narratives and prescriptive texts. Without access to specific usage contexts from the provided data, we cannot determine which particular type of oil (olive, vegetable, animal fat) predominated or whether certain applications were more theologically significant than others. What remains clear is that *šemen* represents a material staple whose importance to biblical-era life is reflected in its consistent and repeated appearance throughout the scriptural record.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.
Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.
oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,
“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him.
You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh.
and with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil.
You shall make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”
oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,
the lamp stand also for the light, with its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light;
and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;
with the spice and the oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
the pure lamp stand, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light,
the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent,
“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.
“ ‘When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.
He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
“ ‘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.
If your offering is a meal offering made on a griddle, it shall be of unleavened fine flour, mixed with oil.
You shall cut it in pieces, and pour oil on it. It is a meal offering.
If your offering is a meal offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a meal offering.
The priest shall burn as its memorial part of its crushed grain and part of its oil, along with all its frankincense. It is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
“ ‘But if he can’t afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for that in which he has sinned, one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, and he shall not put any frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.
He shall take from there his handful of the fine flour of the meal offering, and of its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the meal offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma, as its memorial portion, to Yahweh.
It shall be made with oil in a griddle. When it is soaked, you shall bring it in. You shall offer the meal offering in baked pieces for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.
If 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.
“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;
Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them.
He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before Yahweh, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh.
Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
and a bull and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before Yahweh; and a meal offering mixed with oil: for today Yahweh appears to you.’ ”
You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you.” They did according to the word of Moses.
“On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without defect, one ewe lamb a year old without defect, three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with oil, and one log of oil.
“The priest shall take one of the male lambs, and offer him for a trespass offering, with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh.
The priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.
The priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Yahweh.
The priest shall put some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering.
The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh.
“If he is poor, and can’t afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering, and a log of oil;
The priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh.
The priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand;
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