Elaion is oil used for anointing and wound care, kept for lamps, and treated as a measured commodity.

The attested uses most often place the oil in acts of anointing or care; it is also kept with lamps and appears as a measured or protected commodity.

1. Oil applied in anointing and care · dominant

   The dative and accusative forms occur with anointing or treatment: in James 5:14 the APB renders the elders as having anointed a weak person “with olive oil,” while Luke 10:34 renders oil as poured on wounds. Hebrews 1:9, Luke 7:46, and Mark 6:13 likewise place the term in clauses about anointing.

   Hebrews 1:9James 5:14Luke 10:34Luke 7:46Mark 6:13
2. Oil kept for lamps · common

   In Matthew 25:3 and Matthew 25:4, the accusative form is what the foolish fail to take and the thoughtful take in jars with their lamps. In Matthew 25:8, the genitive form occurs when the foolish ask for some because their lamps are going out.

   Matthew 25:3Matthew 25:4Matthew 25:8
3. Oil as a measured or protected good · common

   Luke 16:6 places the genitive form in an account of “a hundred measures,” while Revelation 18:13 lists the accusative form among goods. In Revelation 6:6, the APB renders a command not to harm it alongside wine.

   Luke 16:6Revelation 18:13Revelation 6:6

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as “olive oil,” including in anointing, lamp, and commodity contexts; Hebrews 1:9 and Luke 7:46 use the shorter “oil.” These renderings reflect whole-verse translations rather than a word-by-word alignment.