3251. yasak

Lexical Summary

yasak: To pour out, to anoint, to cover

Original Word: יָסַךְ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: yacak
Pronunciation: yah-sak'
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-sak')
KJV: be poured
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to pour (intransitive)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

be poured

A primitive root; to pour (intransitive) -- be poured.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
the same as suk, q.v.

Brown-Driver-Briggs

יסך, only in יִיסָךְ Exodus 30:32 read יוּסָךְ see סוך (Kö^{i. 436}).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 3251 יָסַךְ appears once in Scripture, in Exodus 30:32, where it expresses the act of “pouring” the sacred anointing oil. Although rare, its solitary usage highlights a central Old Testament theme: the holiness of God’s appointed worship and the separation of that which is consecrated from common use.

Biblical Occurrence and Immediate Context

Exodus 30:22-33 records the LORD’s instructions to Moses for compounding a unique anointing oil and its exclusive application:

“It must not be poured on the bodies of ordinary men, and you must not make a similar composition using the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.” (Exodus 30:32)

The oil was prepared from myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and olive oil, and was applied to the tent of meeting, the furnishings, the altar, the laver, as well as to Aaron and his sons. By decree, no one outside this priestly context was ever to receive it.

Theology of Consecration

1. Separation unto God
• יָסַךְ underscores the deliberate, visible setting apart of persons and objects for divine service.
• The prohibition against casual use guarded Israel from confusing holy with profane (Leviticus 10:10).

2. Holiness Transmitted through Contact
• When the oil touched the tabernacle vessels, they became “most holy” (Exodus 30:29).
• The act anticipates the priestly principle later fulfilled in the believer’s union with Christ (1 Peter 2:9).

3. Irreproducibility
• Israel could not imitate the mixture, safeguarding both its formula and symbolism.
• The singular occurrence of יָסַךְ mirrors the singularity of the oil’s recipe—both resist duplication.

Christological Foreshadowing

The Messiah’s title “Christ” (Χριστός) means “Anointed One.” The non-transferable oil typifies the Spirit’s unrepeatable anointing of Jesus at the Jordan (Matthew 3:16-17). As the oil flowed only on those whom God appointed, so the Spirit rests uniquely on the Son and, through Him, on all who belong to Him (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Historical Notes

• Second Temple Judaism revered this command; Josephus remarks that the original flask of oil was hidden by priests before the Babylonian destruction and expected to reappear under Messiah.
• Rabbinic tradition strictly forbade private manufacture of any near-identical perfume—an echo of the Exodus ban.

Ministry Application

1. Guarding the sacred trust
• Church leaders, like ancient priests, must handle the means of grace with reverence, avoiding commercialization or trivialization of spiritual gifts.
2. Authentic versus counterfeit anointing
• Modern claims of spiritual power should be measured against Scriptural fidelity, lest believers “compound” their own versions of divine work.
3. Personal holiness
• Believers consecrated by the Spirit are called to maintain purity in body and conduct (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), reflecting the exclusive nature of the Exodus oil.

Summary

Though יָסַךְ occurs only once, it opens a window onto the larger biblical motif of holy anointing. The commanded restriction around the pouring of the oil illustrates God’s demand for distinctiveness in worship, anticipates the singular anointing of Christ, and challenges every generation to honor what God has made sacred.

Forms and Transliterations

יִיסָ֔ךְ ייסך yî·sāḵ yiSach yîsāḵ

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 30:32
HEB: אָדָם֙ לֹ֣א יִיסָ֔ךְ וּבְמַ֨תְכֻּנְתּ֔וֹ לֹ֥א
KJV: flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make
INT: anyone's nor not be poured proportions nor

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3251
1 Occurrence

yî·sāḵ — 1 Occ.