11 Bible Verses about Anointing, Social Custom

Wash, anoint yourself, put your clothing on, and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking.

But you have exalted my horn like [that of] a wild ox; you have anointed me with fresh oil.

And you climbed down to the king with oil, and you made your perfumes numerous, and you sent your envoys {far away}, and you {sent down deep} to Sheol.

[Alas for those] who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

But [when] you are fasting, {put olive oil on your head} and wash your face

You prepare before me a table in the presence of my oppressors. You anoint my head with oil; my cup [is] overflowing.

Now one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he entered into the house of the Pharisee [and] reclined at the table. And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, [when she] learned that he was dining in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed oil, and standing behind [him] at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with [her] tears and was wiping [them] with the hair of her head and was kissing his feet and anointing [them] with the perfumed oil.read more.
Now [when] the Pharisee who invited him saw [this], he spoke to himself, saying, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman [this is] who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

Then Mary took a pound of ointment of very valuable genuine nard [and] anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

And [when] the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome purchased fragrant spices so that they could go [and] anoint him.

Now [while] Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him holding an alabaster flask of very expensive perfumed oil, and poured [it] out on his head [while he] was reclining at table. And [when] the disciples saw [it] they were indignant, saying, "{Why} this waste?read more.
For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor!" But Jesus, knowing [this], said to them, "Why do you cause trouble for the woman? For she has done a good deed for me. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me. For [when] this woman poured this ointment on my body, she did [it] in order to prepare me for burial.

And after these [things], Joseph [who was] from Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but a secret one for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate allowed [it], so he came and took away his body. And Nicodemus--the one who had come to him formerly at night--also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes [weighing] about a hundred pounds. So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in [strips of] linen cloth with the fragrant spices, as is the Jews' custom to prepare for burial.