What does מָשַׁח (məšîḥô) mean in the Bible?
מָשַׁח (mashach) means to anoint, smear, or apply oil. In ritual and royal settings, anointing marks a person or object for an assigned office or sacred use.
Hebrew · H4886
מָשַׁח
To rub with oil , i.e. to anoint ; by implication, to consecrate ; also to paint
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מָשַׁח H4886
Pronunciation məšîḥô
What does מָשַׁח (məšîḥô) mean in the Bible?
מָשַׁח (mashach) means to anoint, smear, or apply oil. In ritual and royal settings, anointing marks a person or object for an assigned office or sacred use.
Reader summary
Full entry for מָשַׁח (H4886) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4886?
The BSB source-word alignment has 69 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include anoint (5), and anointed (4), anointed (3), coated (3), and anoint (2).
Where does מָשַׁח (məšîḥô) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 31:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (12), Leviticus (8), Numbers (8), 1 Kings (7).
What This Word Actually Means
מָשַׁח (mashach) means to anoint, smear, or apply oil. In ritual and royal settings, anointing marks a person or object for an assigned office or sacred use. Priests are anointed in Exodus 28, the tabernacle and its furnishings are anointed in Exodus 30 and 40, and kings are anointed in Samuel and Kings. The verb also appears in less exalted acts of smearing, so consecration must be established by context.
First Samuel 16:13 closely joins Samuel's anointing of David with the Spirit of the Lord rushing upon him from that day. That passage supports a strong relationship between David's royal commissioning and divine empowerment. It does not prove that every occurrence of mashach automatically conveys the Spirit, since objects, priests, food offerings, and other persons can also be anointed in different settings.
Isaiah 61:1 presents a speaker who is anointed by the Lord to bring good news, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty. Luke 4 quotes this mission text and applies it to Jesus. This is a direct canonical reuse of Isaiah's anointing language in Greek translation, while Psalm 2:2 and Daniel 9:25 belong directly to the related H4899 noun rather than to H4886.
Lexical sourcePassage contextCanonical synthesis
How the Bible Uses It
Mashach moves across practical smearing, priestly and sanctuary consecration, royal installation, prophetic commission, and the mission announced in Isaiah 61. The act's significance depends on what or whom is anointed and for what purpose.
- Exod.28.41
Aaron's sons are anointed, ordained, and consecrated for priestly service.
- Exod.30.26
The tabernacle and ark are anointed as part of setting sanctuary objects apart.
- 1Sam.9.16
Samuel is commanded to anoint Saul as ruler over Israel.
- 1Sam.16.13
Samuel anoints David, and the Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully upon him from that day.
- Isa.61.1
The Lord's anointing commissions the speaker's good-news and liberation mission.
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 anoint 5× Exodus 28:41, Exodus 30:30, Exodus 40:10, Exodus 40:11
and anointed 4× Leviticus 8:10, Leviticus 8:12, 1 Samuel 16:13, 1 Kings 1:39
anointed 3× Exodus 29:2, 1 Samuel 15:17, 2 Samuel 12:7
coated 3× Leviticus 2:4, Leviticus 7:12, Numbers 6:15
and anoint 2× Exodus 29:36, Exodus 40:9
And they anointed 2× 2 Samuel 5:3, 1 Chronicles 11:3
anointed him 2× 2 Kings 23:30, 2 Chronicles 23:11
had been anointed 2× 2 Samuel 5:17, 1 Chronicles 14:8
has anointed me 2× 2 Samuel 2:7, Isaiah 61:1
I anoint 2× 2 Kings 9:3, 2 Kings 9:12
you anointed 2× Genesis 31:13, Exodus 40:15
You are to anoint 2× 1 Samuel 16:3, 1 Kings 19:15
- 1× Numbers 7:1
. . . 1× 1 Kings 19:16
[and] anoint him 1× 1 Samuel 16:12
[Solomon] had been anointed 1× 1 Kings 5:1
[the altar] was anointed 1× Numbers 7:10
and anoint him 1× Exodus 29:7
and anoint yourselves 1× Amos 6:6
and paints it 1× Jeremiah 22:14
and to anoint 1× Daniel 9:24
and you are to anoint him 1× 1 Samuel 9:16
anoint him 1× Exodus 40:13
anointed you 1× 1 Samuel 10:1
anointing 1× Leviticus 8:11
anointing him 1× 1 Chronicles 29:22
are anointing me 1× Judges 9:15
are to anoint 1× 1 Kings 1:34
had anointed 1× 2 Chronicles 22:7
has anointed you 1× Psalms 45:7
have anointed 1× 1 Kings 1:45
he anointed 1× Numbers 7:1
he is anointed 1× Leviticus 6:20
I anoint you 1× 2 Kings 9:6
I have anointed him 1× Psalms 89:20
is anointed 1× Leviticus 16:32
it was anointed 1× Numbers 7:88
oil 1× Isaiah 21:5
the anointed 1× Numbers 3:3
they anointed 1× 2 Samuel 2:4
They anointed him 1× 2 Kings 11:12
they were anointed 1× Leviticus 7:36
though anointed 1× 2 Samuel 3:39
to anoint 1× Judges 9:8
to anoint you 1× 1 Samuel 15:1
Use [this oil] to anoint 1× Exodus 30:26
was anointed 1× Numbers 35:25
we anointed 1× 2 Samuel 19:10
when it was anointed 1× Numbers 7:84
You are also to anoint 1× 1 Kings 19:16
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 31:13 מָשַׁ֤חְתָּ to you anointed Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 28:41 וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֨ to anoint Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 29:2 מְשֻׁחִ֣ים to anointed Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural Exodus 29:7 וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֖ to and anoint him Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 29:36 וּמָֽשַׁחְתָּ֥ to and anoint Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 30:26 וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֥ to Use [this oil] to anoint Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 30:30 תִּמְשָׁ֑ח to Anoint Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 40:9 וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֥ to and anoint Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 40:10 וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֛ to Anoint Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 40:11 וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֥ to Anoint Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 31:13
Aligned rows 69
Books represented 16
Genesis 1 Exodus 12 Leviticus 8 Numbers 8 Judges 2 1 Samuel 7 2 Samuel 7 1 Kings 7 2 Kings 5 1 Chronicles 3 2 Chronicles 2 Psalms 2 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 1 Daniel 1 Amos 1
Source forms
וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֥ 4x ū·mā·šaḥ·tā Exodus 30:26, Exodus 40:9, Exodus 40:11, Exodus 40:13
הִמָּשַׁ֣ח 3x him·mā·šaḥ Leviticus 6:20, Numbers 7:10, Numbers 7:84
מְשֻׁחִ֣ים 3x mə·šu·ḥîm Exodus 29:2, Leviticus 7:12, Numbers 6:15
וַיִּמְשַׁ֥ח 2x way·yim·šaḥ Leviticus 8:10, Leviticus 8:12
וַיִּמְשַׁ֨ח 2x way·yim·šaḥ Leviticus 8:11, Numbers 7:1
וַיִּמְשְׁח֧וּ 2x way·yim·šə·ḥū 2 Samuel 5:3, 1 Chronicles 29:22
וּמָשַׁחְתָּ֣ 2x ū·mā·šaḥ·tā Exodus 40:15, 1 Samuel 16:3
מְשַׁחְתִּ֥יךָֽ 2x mə·šaḥ·tî·ḵā 2 Kings 9:3, 2 Kings 9:12
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular 11x Exodus 28:41, Exodus 29:7, Exodus 29:36, Exodus 30:26
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 6x 2 Samuel 2:4, 2 Samuel 5:3, 1 Kings 1:45, 2 Kings 23:30
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 6x Leviticus 8:10, Leviticus 8:11, Leviticus 8:12, Numbers 7:1
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct 4x Leviticus 6:20, Numbers 7:10, Numbers 7:84, Numbers 7:88
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular 4x 2 Samuel 12:7, 2 Kings 9:3, 2 Kings 9:6, 2 Kings 9:12
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural 4x Exodus 29:2, Leviticus 2:4, Leviticus 7:12, Numbers 6:15
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular 3x Exodus 30:30, 1 Kings 19:16
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 3x 2 Samuel 2:7, 2 Samuel 5:17, 1 Kings 5:1
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Name the office, object, and purpose of each anointing passage before applying it.
- Modern ministry language about anointing should not shield leaders from biblical accountability.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that applying oil compels the Holy Spirit to act.
- Do not claim that every person called anointed in Scripture is a sinless or final messianic figure.
Hebrew word. Anointing with oil consecrates a person or object for divine service or royal office.
Strong's H4886
Lexical occurrences 69 verses Word forms 2 forms 24 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Psalms 28:6–9 Source Gloss
to rub with oil , i.e. to anoint ; by implication, to consecrate ; also to paint
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Anointing with oil consecrates a person or object for divine service or royal office.
to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint; by implication, to consecrate; also to paint BDB: smear Usage: anoint, paint.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
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 2 Aligned forms 24
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 19×
Perfect 1Kgs 5:15 · 2Sam 2:7 · 2Sam 5:17 · Exod 40:15 · Gen 31:13 · Isa 61:1 · Num 35:25 · 2Sam 19:11 8×
Imperfect 1Kgs 19:16 · Exod 30:30 · Amos 6:6 · Lev 16:32 5×
Participle passive Exod 29:2 · Lev 2:4 · Lev 7:12 · Num 6:15 4×
Sequential imperfect Isa 21:5 1×
Participle active Judg 9:15 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 5×
Infinitive construct Lev 6:13 · Num 7:10 · Num 7:84 · Num 7:88 4×
Perfect 1Chr 14:8 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
His anointed; His Messiah; the king set apart by the holy anointing oil for God's service
Showing 1 selected witness from 69 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מָשַׁח is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Mashach helps a congregation understand anointing as a concrete act whose meaning comes from divine appointment and the task named in the passage. Priests, kings, sanctuary objects, and a prophetic speaker can all be anointed, so the word does not automatically mean Messiah or guarantee Spirit empowerment in exactly the same way. First Samuel 16 gives a crucial royal scene in which David's anointing and the Spirit's coming are directly joined.
Isaiah 61 gives an anointed mission of proclamation and restoration that Luke applies to Jesus. A sermon can trace that strong canonical movement while resisting magical views of oil, self-appointed claims to special authority, and careless transfer of royal immunity language to modern leaders. Biblical anointing marks accountable service under God's purpose; it is never a license to evade correction or to manufacture the Spirit's presence through ritual technique.
Anchor passage
1Sam.16.13
Doctrinal connections
- Exod.28.41: priestly consecration
- Exod.30.26: sanctuary objects
- 1Sam.9.16: Saul's royal commission
- 1Sam.16.13: David's anointing and the Spirit
- 1Kgs.19.16: Elisha's prophetic succession
- Isa.61.1: anointed mission of good news
H4886 is the verb. H4899 is the related noun for an anointed person. Similar English wording must not override the Strong's identity and Hebrew morphology.
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