The Alabaster Jar Foundation - About The Jar
Alabaster
has biblical significance. Commonly found in Palestine,
alabaster is a hard stone like white marble. It is said to
be one of the precious stones used in decorating Solomon’s
Temple (1 Chronicles 29:2).
The beloved man in Song
of Songs has legs like “alabaster columns” (ESV) or “pillars
of marble” (NIV, KJV). The Bible speaks of two women who
carried perfumed oil in containers made of a white,
marble-like substance.
According to one source: "Ointment, oils and
perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster, which
kept them pure and unspoiled. The boxes were often sealed or
made fast with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping."
And in John 12:3 NIV, when Mary broke open her
alabaster box, "...the house was filled with the
fragrance of the perfume."