it appears, sometimes wore similar garments of hair to deceive the people into accepting them as reputable prophets of Jehovah, thus making their messages seem more credible.—Zech. 13:4.

The term ʼad·deʹreth was also used in reference to costly and royal garments, like the one stolen by Achan, “an official garment from Shinar, a good-looking one.” (Josh. 7:21, 24) Ancient Babylon or Shinar was noted for its beautiful robes. The king of Nineveh “put off his official garment,” undoubtedly a splendid robe, and clothed himself with sackcloth to show his repentance.—Jonah 3:6.

OG

The powerful Amorite king of Bashan (1 Ki. 4:19) whom the Israelites defeated before crossing into the Promised Land. Og was one of the giant Rephaim. In fact, his immense iron bier (perhaps a sarcophagus, or possibly a bed frame) measured some 13 feet by 6 feet (3.9 by 1.8 meters). He and Sihon ruled the Amorites E of the Jordan. (Deut. 3:11, 13; 4:46, 47) The domain of Og extended from Mount Hermon to the Jabbok River, territory E of the Jordan that included sixty fortified cities and numerous rural towns. (Deut. 3:3-5, 8-10; Josh. 12:4, 5; compare Numbers 21:23, 24.) His two principal cities were Edrei and Ashtaroth.—Deut. 1:4; Josh. 13:12.

The defeat of Og at the hands of Israel came toward the end of Israel’s forty-year wandering, just before they encamped on the plains of Moab. After defeating Sihon, Israel clashed with Og’s forces at Edrei and, in an overwhelming God-given victory, killed off Og and all his army and took possession of his cities and towns. (Num. 21:33–22:1; Deut. 3:1-13) Og’s territory became part of Manasseh’s inheritance. (Num. 32:33; Deut. 3:13; Josh. 13:29-31) The victory brought fright to the inhabitants of Canaan and was a contributing factor prompting Rahab and the Gibeonites to seek peace with Israel so that they too were not exterminated. (Josh. 2:10, 11; 9:9, 10) The victory was a great encouragement to Israel and was remembered even many centuries later.—Deut. 31:4; Neh. 9:22; Ps. 135:10-12; 136:17-22.

OHAD

(Oʹhad).

The third-listed son of Simeon. (Gen. 46:10; Ex. 6:15) His name does not appear as founder of a family in the later registration list.—Num. 26:12-14.

OHEL

(Oʹhel) [tent].

A son of Governor Zerubbabel and descendant of David.—1 Chron. 3:19, 20.

OHOLAH

(O·hoʹlah) [her (own) tent].

Ezekiel chapter 23 depicts Samaria (representing the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel) as the prostitute Oholah, the older sister of Oholibah, representing Jerusalem (the kingdom of Judah). The fact that the ten-tribe kingdom established its own centers of worship may be alluded to by the name Oholah, “her own tent.” Her prostitution began in Egypt and continued in the Promised Land. In later times it involved her currying the favor of the Assyrians and engaging in degrading idolatrous practices, including child sacrifice. For her unfaithfulness to him, Jehovah delivered Oholah (the northern kingdom) into the hands of the Assyrians, her lovers.

OHOLIAB

(O·hoʹli·ab) [father’s tent].

Chief assistant of Bezalel in constructing the tabernacle; of the tribe of Dan, son of Ahisamach. Oholiab was “a craftsman and embroiderer and weaver in the blue thread and the wool dyed reddish purple and coccus scarlet material and fine linen.”—Ex. 31:6; 35:34; 36:1, 2; 38:23.

OHOLIBAH

(O·holʹi·bah) [my tent is in her].

In Ezekiel chapter 23, Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness to Jehovah is portrayed under the allegory of the prostitute Oholibah. The meaning of the name Oholibah seems to allude to the fact that Jehovah’s tent or sanctuary was in her territory. (Compare OHOLAH.) However, instead of appreciating this and taking to heart the punishment that came upon her sister Oholah (Samaria) for unfaithfulness, Oholibah not only continued the record of infidelity begun in Egypt, but conducted herself even worse than her sister. She practiced idolatry on a large scale and became politically involved with the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Consequently her former lovers, the Babylonians, were foretold to come against her and make her a “frightful object.”

OHOLIBAMAH

(O·hol·i·baʹmah) [tent of the high place].

1. A Canaanite wife of Esau. She bore him three sons, Jeush, Jalam and Korah, all of whom became sheiks of Edom. Oholibamah was a daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Hivite Zibeon.—Gen. 36:2, 5-8, 14, 18, 25.

2. The designation for an Edomite sheik; some scholars would apply these listed names to places, believing they should read “the sheik of Oholibamah,” etc.—Gen. 36:40, 41; 1 Chron. 1:51, 52.

OIL

The fatty liquid most familiar to the Hebrews was that obtained from olives. Fully ripened black olives gave the most oil, but those yet green, though beginning to change in color, produced the oil of finest quality. After the fruit was carefully removed from the trees, and the twigs and leaves were cleaned from the olives, they were carried to the oil press.

The pulp of the ripe olive berry is about half oil, which varies in grade according to the method of processing the pulp. The very best, called “pure, beaten olive oil,” was produced by a simple process before the olives were put into the press. (Lev. 24:2) First, the olives were placed in a mortar and beaten until they were well bruised, or they were sometimes trodden by foot. (Mic. 6:15) Next, the bruised fruit was transferred to strainer baskets wherein it “bled” oil until the “virgin” or “first expressed” oil was released. The pure, beaten oil was stored in earthenware jars and the pulp was moved to the olive press.

A common grade of oil was prepared by thoroughly crushing the olives in a mortar or hand mill. After the oil ran off from the pulp, it was allowed to clarify in clay jars or vats.

The lowest grade of oil was that pressed from the pulp refuse in an olive or wine press after the crushing process. The pulverized mass of pulp was packed into baskets and stacked between the two vertical pillars of the olive press. A weighted lever was applied to the stack of baskets to press out the oil, which was then channeled into large reservoirs for clearing. There, the oil would rise to the surface, separating from the bits of pulp and the water below before it was drawn off into large earthenware jars or special cisterns for storage.—Compare 2 Chronicles 32:27, 28; see PRESS.

A SYMBOL OF PROSPERITY

Great prosperity was signified when reference was made to the ‘press vats overflowing with oil.’ (Joel 2:24) Suffering Job longed for his previous days of plenty when “the rock kept pouring out streams of oil” for him. (Job 29:1, 2, 6) Jehovah caused “Jacob,” or the Israelites, figuratively to suck “oil out of a flinty rock,” apparently from olive trees growing in rocky terrain. (Deut. 32:9, 13) Moses declared that Asher would become “one dipping his foot in oil,” indicating that this tribe would enjoy material blessings.—Deut. 33:24.

AN IMPORTANT TRADE AND FOOD COMMODITY

Olive oil became an important trade commodity in Palestine because of its abundance there. Yearly, Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre “twenty cor measures [1,162 gallons; 4,400 liters] of beaten-out oil” as part of a payment for temple construction materials. (1 Ki. 5:10, 11) Judah and Israel were once Tyre’s “traders” for oil. (Ezek. 27:2, 17) Perfumed oil and olive oil are also among the items purchased by mystic Babylon the Great from the “traveling merchants” of the earth.—Rev. 18:11-13.

Olive oil, a high-energy food and one of the most digestible fats, was a principal food in the Israelite diet, probably taking the place of butter for table use in many cases, also for cooking purposes. (Deut. 7:13; Jer. 41:8; Ezek. 16:13) It was a common lamp fuel (Matt. 25:1-9), and “pure, beaten olive oil” was burned in the lamps of the golden lampstand in the tent of meeting. (Ex. 27:20, 21; 25:31, 37) Oil was used in connection with grain offerings presented to Jehovah. (Lev. 2:1-7) As a cosmetic it was applied to the body after bathing. (Ruth 3:3; 2 Sam. 12:20) It was considered an act of hospitality to grease the head of a guest with oil. (Luke 7:44-46) Oil was also employed to soften and to soothe bruises and wounds (Isa. 1:6), sometimes along with wine.—Luke 10:33, 34.

RELIGIOUS USE AND SIGNIFICANCE

Jehovah commanded Moses to prepare a “holy anointing oil” that contained olive oil and other ingredients. With it, Moses anointed the tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, the various sanctuary utensils and furniture. Moses also used it in anointing Aaron and his sons, to sanctify them as priests to Jehovah. (Ex. 30:22-33; Lev. 8:10-12) Kings were anointed with oil, as when Samuel, anointing Saul, “took the flask of oil and poured it out upon his head.” (1 Sam. 10:1) A horn of oil was used when Solomon was anointed.—1 Ki. 1:39.

Foretelling the joy-producing effects of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, it was said that he would give “those mourning over Zion . . . the oil of exultation instead of mourning.” (Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 4:16-21) It was also prophesied that Jesus would be anointed personally by Jehovah with the “oil of exultation” more than his partners, indicating that he would experience greater joy than his predecessors of the Davidic dynasty.—Ps. 45:7; Heb. 1:8, 9; see ANOINTED, ANOINTING.

As the applying of literal oil to one’s head is soothing and refreshing, so also is the application of God’s Word to a spiritually sick person to soothe, correct, comfort and heal him. Thus, the older men of the Christian congregation are admonished to pray over such a man, figuratively “greasing him with oil in the name of Jehovah,” an essential measure in effecting his spiritual recovery.—Jas. 5:13-15; compare Psalm 141:5.

OIL TREE

[Heb., ʽets sheʹmen].

The identification of this tree is doubtful. The Hebrew name indicates a “fatwood” tree, rich in oil or similar substance. It has long been considered to be the oleaster (Elaeagnus hortensis or Elaeagnus angustifolia), which is a small tree or shrub common in Palestine, bearing gray-green leaves similar to those of the olive tree and producing a fruit from which an oil is obtained, much inferior to the oil of the olive. While its wood is hard and fine-grained, making it suitable for carving, it hardly seems to fit the description given of the ‘oil tree’ at 1 Kings 6:23, 31-33. There it is stated that, in the temple construction, the two cherubs, each nearly fifteen feet (4.6 meters) tall, as well as the doors to the Most Holy and the “foursquare” door-posts for the main entrance to the temple, were made of the wood of the ‘oil tree.’ The oleaster seems much too small a plant to fit these requirements adequately.

The Authorized Version and Revised Standard Version refer to wood of the olive tree at 1 Kings 6:23, and it is suggested that the cherubs may have been constructed of several pieces joined together, since the olive’s short trunk does not provide timbers of great lengths. Still, the fact that the olive tree is alluded to as distinct from the oil tree at Nehemiah 8:15 would seem to rule out this suggestion.

For this reason some authorities recommend the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), which they believe could have been called the “oil tree” because of its producing tar and turpentine. This lofty pine is one of the most common evergreens in Palestine, and there is evidence to show that the region around Jerusalem once had a sizable forest of it. It grows to from thirty to fifty feet (9.1 to 15.2 meters) tall, with smooth gray bark, light-green needles and reddish-brown cones. Its wood is said to be of a quality approaching that of the cedar. This tree could, therefore, fit the requirements for the temple building; however, in view of the lack of positive evidence the New World Translation renders the Hebrew term simply as “oil tree.”

Branches of the oil tree, along with those of the olive, myrtle and palm trees, were used in Jerusalem at the Festival of Booths. (Neh. 8:15) The oil tree is also one of the trees foretold to grace the wilderness, in Isaiah’s restoration prophecy.—Isa. 41:19.

OINTMENT AND PERFUMES

The Hebrew terms relating to ointments may apply, not only to salve-like preparations that liquefy when rubbed on the skin, but also to compounded oil preparations that remain liquid at normal temperatures.—Ex. 30:25; Ps. 133:2.

In the past as now, ointments were used chiefly as cosmetic and medicinal preparations, their advantage being mainly due to their oil content. The property that fats and oils possess, of absorbing and retaining odors, made it possible for the ointment maker to produce perfumed preparations that were highly prized for their fragrance. (Song of Sol. 1:3) The cleansing power and skin-softening characteristic of the oil, plus the fragrance of the additives, made such ointments very useful for the prevention of chafing and skin irritation, and for a body “deodorant” in hot countries where water was often very scarce. Offering guests such a preparation upon their arrival at one’s home was certainly an act of hospitality, as noted by what Jesus said when someone greased his feet with perfumed oil.—Luke 7:37-46.

When perfumed ointments of special make were used in preparing a corpse for burial, they no doubt served primarily as disinfectants and deodorants. (2 Chron. 16:14; Luke 23:56) With such usage in mind, Jesus explained that the anointing he received in the house of Simon the leper consisting of very costly perfumed oil, the scent of which filled the whole house, was in a figurative sense “for the preparation of me for burial.” (Matt. 26:6-12; John 12:3) Precious perfumes, such as the spikenard used on this occasion, were usually sealed in beautiful marblelike alabaster cases or vials.—Mark 14:3; see ALABASTER.

HOLY ANOINTING OIL AND INCENSE

The first ointment mentioned in the Bible was the holy anointing oil used to sanctify the dedicated articles of the tabernacle and its priesthood. (Ex. 30:25-30) Personal use of this special ointment was prohibited, under penalty of death. This law shows the sacredness attached to the tabernacle and its personnel.—Ex. 30:31-33.

Jehovah gave Moses the formula for the holy anointing oil. Only “the choicest perfumes” were to be used: myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia and the purest olive oil, and each in specified amounts. (Ex. 30:22-24) Likewise, Jehovah gave the formula for the holy incense. It was not just a substance that would smolder and smoke; it was a special perfumed incense. (Ex. 30:7; 40:27; Lev. 16:12; 2 Chron. 2:4; 13:10, 11) To make it, specific amounts of stacte, onycha, perfumed galbanum and frankincense were used, God further describing it as “a spice mixture, the work of an ointment maker, salted, pure, something holy.” Some of the incense was finely powdered and probably sifted to obtain a uniform product, suitable for its special use. Private use was a capital crime.—Ex. 30:34-38.

In making both the anointing oil and holy incense,