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In the Egyptian daily temple ritual, the priest anoints the head of Amun's statue with oil. The Jerusalem temple had no statue of God, and in Psalm 23 the direction of the anointing is reversed, with God pouring oil on the psalmist's head instead.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 8:21
Ritual of the Divine Cult
Ancient Near East
“Festival scent. I have filled you with the Eye of Horus which makes glad. “Oil of praise. I have filled you with the Eye of Horus, the oil praises your head. “Sefi oil. I have presented to you the Eye of Horus, by which Set was destroyed.
Psalm 23:5
Hebrew Bible
4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me. 5 You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full. 6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life.
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Notes and References
“... The anointing of the cult statue is part of the priestly service incumbent on the Pharaoh. Since there was no cult statue in the temple at Jerusalem, this duty was omitted. Instead, we learn that Yahweh anoints the suppliant (Ps 23:5) and especially the king (Ps 45:7) with the oil of gladness. [...] According to the relief cycles, it is the Pharaoh who daily opens the holy of holies and venerates the god, his father (229-30). [...] In addition to the daily veneration, purification, censing, libation, sacrifice, and anointing, the king was also responsible for providing the cult statue with clothing and ornaments (378). ...”
Keel, Othmar
The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms
(p. 275, 279) Eisenbrauns, 1997
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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