shemen · oil

What it means

shemen (שֶׁמֶן) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “oil”.

Olive oil. It was used for food, light, and perfume, and also to consecrate something or someone to God (anoint).

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The fat pressed from olives, for eating, lighting or anointing.
2. Literally "oil": plenty, land that yields much.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Oil, above all olive oil; by extension, fatness, richness. BDB: grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed).

• Oil in the offerings Leviticus 2:1Leviticus 2:4
• The oil of anointing Leviticus 8:10Leviticus 8:12
• Anointing a king with oil 1 Samuel 16:11 Samuel 16:13
• The widow's oil, which flows until the vessels are full 2 Kings 4:6
• Oil and wealth Proverbs 21:17Proverbs 21:20

Historical and cultural background

In Leviticus 8 Moses anoints the dwelling and all that is in it with the oil of anointing, and pours it on Aaron's head to consecrate him.

How we translate it

“Oil” 177 times; by context, “olive wood” 4, “fatness” 3, “perfume” 2, “perfumes” 2, “rich foods” 2. שֶׁמֶן כָּתִית is “olive oil, beaten”, as in Exodus 27:20.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• oil ×177
• olive wood ×4
• fatness ×3
• perfume ×2
• perfumes ×2
• rich foods ×2
• fertile ×1
• oils ×1
• without fat ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Exodus×24
• Leviticus×42
• Numbers×34
• Deuteronomy×4
• 1 Samuel×3
• 2 Samuel×2
• 1 Kings×9
• 2 Kings×7
• 1 Chronicles×3
• 2 Chronicles×3
• Ezra×1
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×1
• Job×1
• Psalms×10
• Proverbs×5
• Ecclesiastes×3
• Song of Songs×3
• Isaiah×11
• Jeremiah×2
• Ezekiel×16
• Hosea×2
• Amos×1
• Micah×2
• Haggai×1

• Genesis 28:18

  Jacob rose early in the morning, took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a standing stone, and poured oil on its top.

• Genesis 35:14

  Jacob set up a standing stone in the place where he had spoken with him, a standing stone of stone; he poured out a libation on it and poured oil on it.

• Exodus 25:6

  oil for the light, spices for the oil of anointing and for the fragrant incense;

• Exodus 27:20

  And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring you pure olive oil, beaten, for the light, to make burn a lamp continually.

• Exodus 29:2

  and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil; of fine wheat flour you shall make them.

• Exodus 29:7

  Then you shall take the oil of anointing and pour it on his head and anoint him.

• Exodus 29:21

  You shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the oil of anointing 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 holy, and his garments, and his sons and the garments of his sons with him.

• Exodus 29:23

  and one round loaf of bread, and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before YHWH.

• Exodus 29:40

  And a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil, and a libation of a quarter of a hin of wine, for the one lamb.

• Exodus 30:24

  and of cassia five hundred, by the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.

• Exodus 30:25

  You shall make of it a holy anointing oil, a blended mixture, the work of a perfumer; a holy anointing oil it shall be.

• Exodus 30:31

  And to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil for me throughout your generations.

• Exodus 31:11

  and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”

• Exodus 35:8

  and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense;

• Exodus 35:14

  and the lampstand for the light and its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light;

• Exodus 35:15

  and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen of the entrance for the entrance of the dwelling;

• Exodus 35:28

  and the spice and the oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

• Exodus 37:29

  And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

• Exodus 39:37

  the pure lampstand, its lamps, the lamps set in order, and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;

• Exodus 39:38

  and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense, and the screen of the entrance of the tent;

• Exodus 40:9

  And you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the dwelling and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its utensils; and it shall be holy.

• Leviticus 2:1

  When a person presents a grain offering to YHWH, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.

• Leviticus 2:2

  He shall bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and he shall take from there his full handful of its fine flour and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion on the altar, a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

• Leviticus 2:4

  When you present a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers smeared with oil.

• Leviticus 2:5

  And if your offering is a grain offering on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, mixed with oil, unleavened.

• Leviticus 2:6

  You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

• Leviticus 2:7

  And if your offering is a grain offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

• Leviticus 2:15

  You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

• Leviticus 2:16

  The priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of its crushed grain and of its oil, with all its frankincense, a fire offering to YHWH.

• Leviticus 5:11

  But if his means do not reach to two turtledoves or to two young pigeons, he shall bring, as his offering for what he has sinned, a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it, and he shall not put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.

• Leviticus 6:15

  He shall take up from it in his handful some of the fine flour of the grain offering and of its oil, and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and offer it up in smoke on the altar as a pleasing aroma, its memorial portion to YHWH.

• Leviticus 6:21

  It shall be made on a griddle with oil; you shall bring it well mixed; you shall present the baked pieces of a grain offering of pieces as a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

• Leviticus 7:10

  And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, each one like his brother.

• Leviticus 7:12

  If he presents it for thanksgiving, then he shall present, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and fine flour well mixed, cakes mixed with oil.

• Leviticus 8:2

  “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the oil of anointing, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,

• Leviticus 8:10

  Moses took the oil of anointing and anointed the dwelling and all that was in it, and consecrated them.

• Leviticus 8:12

  He poured some of the oil of anointing on the head of Aaron and anointed him to consecrate him.

• Leviticus 8:26

  And from the basket of unleavened bread that was before YHWH he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh.

• Leviticus 8:30

  Moses took some of the oil of anointing and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

• Leviticus 9:4

  and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before YHWH, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today YHWH will appear to you.’”

And 153 more times.