Box

Box in the King James Version refers to a small flask or vial for holding anointing oil or perfume (Mark 14:3; 2 Kings 9:1; 1 Sam. 10:1). The Greek alabastron in Mark 14:3 designates an alabaster flask, sealed at the neck and typically broken open to release the contents—hence the woman's act of breaking the flask before pouring the costly ointment over Jesus' head. This alabaster container was a standard vessel for expensive perfumes in the Greco-Roman world, its impermeable stone preserving the fragrance.

The Hebrew pakh in 1 Samuel 10:1 and 2 Kings 9:1, 3 designates a small flask or cruse from which the prophet pours oil over the head of the person being anointed king. Samuel anoints Saul with such a flask (1 Sam. 10:1), and the young prophet sent by Elisha uses one to anoint Jehu in the inner chamber (2 Kings 9:1–6). The act of breaking or pouring from these small containers was thus associated with the most solemn acts of royal anointing and, in the Gospel account, with the woman's extravagant act of devotion.