Alabaster
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Smith's Bible Dictionary
Alabaster

from the Arabic al bastraton , a whitish stone or from Alabastron , the place in Egypt where it is found. It occurs only in (Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37) The ancients considered alabaster to be the best material in which to preserve their ointments. The Oriental alabaster (referred to in the Bible) is a translucent carbonate of lime, formed on the floors of limestone caves by the percolation of water. It is of the same material as our marbles, but differently formed. It is usually clouded or banded like agate, hence sometimes called onyx marble. Our common alabaster is different from this, being a variety of gypsum or sulphate of lime, used In its finer forms for vases, etc.; in the coarser it is ground up for plaster of Paris. The noted sculptured slabs from Nineveh are made of this material.

ATS Bible Dictionary
Alabaster

A sort of stone, of fine texture, either the white gypsum, a sulphate of lime, or the onyx-alabaster, a hard carbonate of lime, having the color of the human nail, and nearly allied to marble. This material being very generally used to fabricate vessels for holding unguents and perfumed liquids, many vessels were called alabaster though made of a different substance, as gold, silver, glass, etc. In Matthew 26:6,7, we read that Mary, sister of Lazarus, John 12:3, poured as alabaster box of precious ointment on Christ's head. Mark says "she brake the box," signifying probably, that the seal upon the box, or upon the neck of the vase of bottle, which kept the perfume from evaporating, had never been removed; it was on this occasion first opened. See SPIKENARD.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Occurs only in the New Testament in connection with the box of "ointment of spikenard very precious," with the contents of which a woman anointed the head of Jesus as he sat at supper in the house of Simon the leper (Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37). These boxes were made from a stone found near Alabastron in Egypt, and from this circumstance the Greeks gave them the name of the city where they were made. The name was then given to the stone of which they were made; and finally to all perfume vessels, of whatever material they were formed. The woman "broke" the vessel; i.e., she broke off, as was usually done, the long and narrow neck so as to reach the contents. This stone resembles marble, but is softer in its texture, and hence very easily wrought into boxes. Mark says (14:5) that this box of ointment was worth more than 300 pence, i.e., denarii, each of the value of sevenpence halfpenny of our money, and therefore worth about 10 pounds. But if we take the denarius as the day's wage of a labourer (Matthew 20:2), say two shillings of our money, then the whole would be worth about 30 pounds, so costly was Mary's offering.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (n.) A variety of fine gypsum, usually white and translucent, often carved into vases or ornaments.

2. (n.) A hard, compact variety of carbonate of lime, somewhat translucent, or of banded shades of color; stalagmite. The name is used in this sense by Pliny. It is sometimes distinguished as oriental alabaster.

3. (n.) A box or vessel for holding odoriferous ointments, etc.; -- so called from the stone of which it was originally made.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ALABASTER

al'-a-bas-ter (alabastron (Matthew 26:7 Mark 14:3 Luke 7:37)): In modern mineralogy alabaster is crystalline gypsum or sulphate of lime. The Greek word alabastron or alabastos meant a stone casket or vase, and alabastites was used for the stone of which the casket was made. This stone was usually crystalline stalagmitic rock or carbonate of lime, now often called oriental alabaster, to distinguish it from gypsum. The word occurs in the Bible only in the three passages of the Synoptic Gospels cited above. See BOX.

Greek
211. alabastron -- a box of alabaster
... a box of alabaster. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: alabastron Phonetic
Spelling: (al-ab'-as-tron) Short Definition: an alabaster phial or bottle ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/211.htm - 6k
Strong's Hebrew
7893. shayish -- alabaster
... 7892b, 7893. shayish. 7894 . alabaster. Transliteration: shayish Phonetic
Spelling: (shah'-yish) Short Definition: alabaster. Word ...
/hebrew/7893.htm - 6k

8337b. shesh -- alabaster
... alabaster. Transliteration: shesh Short Definition: marble. Word Origin from the
same as shayish Definition alabaster NASB Word Usage alabaster (1), marble (2). ...
/hebrew/8337b.htm - 5k

1858. dar -- perhaps pearl or mother-of-pearl
... Apparently from the same as drowr; properly, a pearl (from its sheen as rapidly
turned); by analogy, pearl-stone, ie Mother-of-pearl or alabaster -- X white. ...
/hebrew/1858.htm - 6k

923. bahat -- perhaps porphyry
... red marble. From an unused root (probably meaning to glisten); white marble or perhaps
alabaster -- red (marble). 922, 923. bahat. 924 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/923.htm - 5k

Library

The Alabaster Box
... THE ALABASTER BOX. ... So she caught up her alabaster box, and without questioning herself
about the act, let her heart have its way, and poured it out on Christ. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/the alabaster box.htm

Jesus' Feet Anointed in the House of a Pharisee.
... 37 And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner; and when she knew that he
was sitting at meat in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster cruse of ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xlvi jesus feet anointed in.htm

Fragrant Graces
... Literally, when Christ tabled among men, when he did eat and drink with them, being
found in fashion as a man, the loving spirit broke the alabaster box of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 61 1915/fragrant graces.htm

Jesus and the Bethany Sisters.
... Love must be the root. It was easy for Mary to bring her alabaster box, for her
heart was full of overmastering love. Service is the fruit of love. ...
/.../miller/personal friendships of jesus/chapter x jesus and the.htm

The Transfiguration
... ordinarily transparent. The brighter the light, fed by fragrant oil within
an alabaster lamp, the more the alabaster will glow. Faint ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/the transfiguration.htm

Civ. Jesus Arrives and is Feasted at Bethany.
... to this group of his friends.] ^b 3 And while he was [there] as he sat at meat,
there came ^a unto him a woman { ^d 3 Mary} ^a having an alabaster cruse of ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/civ jesus arrives and is.htm

The Defence of Uncalculating Love
... 'Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7. There came unto
him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the defence of uncalculating love.htm

The Cruse of Ointment
... And while He was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at meat,
there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of spikenard very ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 14 1-9 the cruse of.htm

The Feast at Simon's House
... At great personal sacrifice she had purchased an alabaster box of "ointment
of spikenard, very costly," with which to anoint His body. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 62 the feast at.htm

The Box of Ointment.
... Some fragrant ointment of spikenard"contained, as we gather from the other Evangelists,
in a box of Alabaster"had been procured by her at great cost;[22 ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xvii the box of ointment.htm

Thesaurus
Alabaster (6 Occurrences)
... The name is used in this sense by Pliny. It is sometimes distinguished as oriental
alabaster. ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ALABASTER. ...
/a/alabaster.htm - 11k

Alabaster-box (2 Occurrences)
Alabaster-box. Alabaster, Alabaster-box. Alameth . Multi-Version
Concordance Alabaster-box (2 Occurrences). Matthew ...
/a/alabaster-box.htm - 7k

Ointment (29 Occurrences)
... people (Exodus 30:33). The scented oils or ointments were kept in jars or vials
(not boxes) made of alabaster. These jars are frequently ...
/o/ointment.htm - 18k

Reclining (25 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:7 there came to him a woman having an alabaster box of ointment, very
precious, and she poured on his head as he is reclining (at meat). (YLT NIV). ...
/r/reclining.htm - 14k

Box (13 Occurrences)
... "Perfume-boxes" are mentioned in Isaiah 3:20; in the New Testament passages the
Revised Version (British and American) renders "alabaster cruse." "Alabaster...
/b/box.htm - 13k

Jar (45 Occurrences)
... Jar (45 Occurrences). Matthew 26:7 a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of
very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. ...
/j/jar.htm - 21k

Cruse (11 Occurrences)
... In the New Testament a small jar or vial, alabastron, "alabaster cruse" or flask,
for holding ointment; not "box" as in the King James Version (Matthew 26:7 ...
/c/cruse.htm - 12k

Sat (222 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:7 a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment,
and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. ...
/s/sat.htm - 36k

Vial (12 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:7 a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment,
and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. (See NAS). ...
/v/vial.htm - 11k

Expensive (6 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:7 a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment,
and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. (WEB RSV NIV). ...
/e/expensive.htm - 8k

Resources
What is an alabaster box? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about brokenness? | GotQuestions.org

Miscellaneous Bible Questions (All) | GotQuestions.org

Alabaster: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Alabaster (6 Occurrences)

Matthew 26:7
a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 14:3
While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard-very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 7:37
Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of ointment.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 29:2
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of various colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
(See NAS)

Esther 1:6
White, green, and blue hangings were fastened with cords of byssus and purple to silver rings and pillars of white marble; couches of gold and silver lay upon a pavement of red and white marble, and alabaster, and black marble.
(DBY)

Song of Songs 5:15
His legs are as pillars of stone on a base of delicate gold; his looks are as Lebanon, beautiful as the cedar-tree.
(See NAS RSV)

Subtopics

Alabaster

Alabaster: Vessels Made of

Related Terms

Alabaster-box (2 Occurrences)

Ointment (29 Occurrences)

Reclining (25 Occurrences)

Box (13 Occurrences)

Jar (45 Occurrences)

Cruse (11 Occurrences)

Sat (222 Occurrences)

Vial (12 Occurrences)

Expensive (6 Occurrences)

Poured (155 Occurrences)

Memphis (8 Occurrences)

Nineveh (23 Occurrences)

Meat (387 Occurrences)

Nard (5 Occurrences)

Learned (70 Occurrences)

Flask (15 Occurrences)

Reclineth (1 Occurrence)

Exceeding (101 Occurrences)

Marble (5 Occurrences)

Pharisee's (2 Occurrences)

Provided (68 Occurrences)

Pharisee (14 Occurrences)

Pure (160 Occurrences)

Perfumer (4 Occurrences)

Perfume (202 Occurrences)

Broke (153 Occurrences)

Bethany (13 Occurrences)

Akrab'bim (2 Occurrences)

Alameth (1 Occurrence)

Sinner (88 Occurrences)

Myrrh (22 Occurrences)

Canaan (102 Occurrences)

Eating (151 Occurrences)

Canaanites (63 Occurrences)

Home (270 Occurrences)

Home (270 Occurrences)

Table (125 Occurrences)

Byssus (40 Occurrences)

Lay (524 Occurrences)

Leper (34 Occurrences)

Sitting (201 Occurrences)

Colors (12 Occurrences)

Ahab (85 Occurrences)

Color (18 Occurrences)

Babel (3 Occurrences)

Assyria (124 Occurrences)

Babylon (270 Occurrences)

Precious (128 Occurrences)

Simon (75 Occurrences)

Akrab'bim
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