Food & daily life
Alabaster Jar
A small container associated in the Gospels with costly perfume.
Also called · alabaster flask · perfume jar
What it means
Alabaster vessels were suitable for storing fragrant ointment or perfume.
In the Gospel accounts, a woman pours costly perfume from such a container in an act directed toward Jesus.
How it appears in the Bible
Matthew and Mark place the act at Bethany and connect it with Jesus’ coming burial.
Translation note
The term can refer to the vessel’s material or to a perfume container of that familiar type.