strange that the elders of the church should apply it. More likely, the anointing has a symbolic purpose. Anointing with oil is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as a symbolic action according to which what is anointed is set apart for God’s service or blessing (while the Greek word chriō was more often used for this, the word aleiphō, found here in James, also occurs [Exod. 40:15; Num. 3:3]). By anointing the sick person with oil, then, the elders are symbolically setting that person aside