Anointing with oil: James 5:14

The Practice of Anointing in James 5:14

May 3,2009

A pdf of this document is here. The pdf contains Greek and Hebrew

words that could not easily be rendered below.

Some biblical practices transcend their original setting and remain relevant to this day (e.g., baptism, communion). Other practices cease to be obligatory as the context in which they existed changes (e.g., head coverings), or their expression adjusts to new conditions. The practice of anointing the sick, which James recommends to the readers of his letter, continues in some churches today, including German Seventh Day Baptists. What was the purpose of that act, and should it still be part of the Christian's response to illness? Distinguishing timeless from transitory observances requires attention to several aspects of interpretation. In this case, the two most informative factors are:

• Lexical: What does "anointing" mean?
• Cultural: How is 'anointing' used?

I. Lexical: What does "anointing" mean?

The English word "anoint," especially in religious discussions, brings to mind an ancient and solemn rite. By far, the most common occurrence in scripture is in describing a sacred act—the pouring of oil on a person's head to mark a spiritual event: his ritualistic consecration to hold a particular office.¹

OT authors use the Hebrew word to designate the consecration of people to several important positions.

A. Sacred act—the pouring of oil to mark a spiritual event (Hebrew mashax, Greek crio)

• Ritualistic consecration (to hold office)²

a. Priests (Lev 8:12; Exod 40:15)³

Lev 8:12 Then [Moses] poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

Exod 40:15 and you shall anoint [Aaron's sons] even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations."

b. Kings (1 Sam 10:1; 1 Kgs 1:39)⁴

1 Sam 10:1 Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on [David's] head, kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?

1 Kgs 1:39 Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then.. .all the people said, "[Long] live King Solomon!"

c. Prophets (1 Kgs 19:16b; Ps 105:15)

1 Kgs 19:16b Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

Ps 105:15 "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm."

The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for the sacred act of anointing with oil the NT writers use most often in reference to Jesus, God's anointed—the Messiah, the Christ.⁵

d. Messiah (Acts 4:27; 10:38)⁶

Acts 4:27 For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

Acts 10:38 "[You know of] Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and [how] he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

e. Believers (2 Cor 1:21; 1 John 2:20)⁷

2 Cor 1:21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,

1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

These passages, and others like them, are what shape our understanding of the word "anoint." We may not consecrate people to God's service by pouring oil on their heads, but the image is so common in scripture that we identify immediately the sacred nature of this act. Unfortunately, that perception can also mislead us, especially when we apply it in cases where it does not belong.

In English, especially the language of 1611, the word "anoint" had a secular as well as a sacred meaning. It could refer to the purpose of the act (i.e., a person's ritualistic consecration to hold office, as in the passages we have discussed) or to the procedure itself (i.e., the application of oil, salve, perfume, etc.). When the translators of the KJV encountered a Hebrew or Greek word with either of these meanings (the sacred or the secular), they could render them with the same English word ("anoint") because that word included both meanings. In this way, the translators left it to their seventeenth century readers to determine by the context of the passage if "anoint" meant consecrating a person or just applying an ointment. Today, the secular meaning is not as common in English, so what usually comes to mind when we encounter the word "anoint" in scripture is the sacred meaning. Therefore, when James says to anoint the sick, we assume it is a religious act, especially as he also advocates prayer with it. Reinforcing this understanding of the passage is the practice in Catholicism of extreme unction, the sacrament of "last rites" that a priest administers to someone on his deathbed.

While James certainly does not have the sacrament in mind—which became official doctrine in 1551 (Council of Trent)—is he describing a religious activity?

For years, I assumed this was a sacred act. Most English translations use the term "anoint," and I had no reason to consider anything else. When one of the elders (Don Graffius) brought to my attention something he read which questioned this interpretation, I looked more carefully at the passage and found that James uses a different word, one that describes a secular act—the rubbing of oil on a person's body to produce a physical effect. The practice is common in biblical times, and the authors use the Hebrew word and its Greek equivalent, both commonly translated "anoint," to designate three practical applications.

B. Secular act—the rubbing of oil to produce a physical effect⁸ (Hebrew suk, Greek aleifo)

1. Cosmetic application (to improve appearance, etc.; 2 Sam 14:2; Mark i6:i)⁹

2 Sam 14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments now, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead many days;

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.

2. Hygienic application (to maintain health; 2 Sam 12:20a; Matt 6:17)¹⁰

2 Sam 12:20a So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed [himself], and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped.

Matt 6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head [with oil] and wash your face

3. Therapeutic application (to treat disease; 2 Chr 28:15; Mark 6:13)¹¹

2 Chr 28:15 Then the men who were designated by name arose, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked ones from the spoil; and they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them drink, anointed them [with oil], led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.

Mark 6:13 And [the disciples] were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

Which secular use does James have in mind? (Therapeutic application)

Query: How do people still use oil in these three ways? What commercial products come to mind for the...?

Cosmetic application

• Coconut oil (skin tanning)
• Balsam oil (hair conditioning)

Hygienic application

• Mineral oil (skin moisturizer)
• Lanolin oil (skin moisturizer)

Therapeutic application

• Peppermint oil (muscle aches)
• Eucalyptus oil (minor wounds- anti-inflammatory and antiseptic)
• Castor oil (mild laxative)

Summary: Despite the fact that most English versions translate these four Hebrew and Greek words as "anoint," that decision masks an important difference in their meaning.

• For one pair of words, the application of oil is a sacred act, and the pouring marks the spiritual event of ritualistic consecration. There is no indication that the sacred application these two words describe has any purpose for the recipient other than formally setting him apart to his appointed service.¹²
• For another pair of words the application of oil is a secular act, and the rubbing produces a physical effect that is cosmetic, hygienic, or therapeutic.

There is no indication that the secular application these two words describe has any purpose for the recipient other than improving his appearance, maintaining his health, or treating his disease. Because James uses (5:4), he is describing a secular act and, because he is addressing the illness of a believer, that act is probably therapeutic (so also Eager 1915:138), like its parallel in Mark (6:13), rubbing oil on the skin rather than pouring oil on the head.¹³

I mentioned two aspects of interpretation that help us understand the practice of anointing, specifically as James refers to it. Our survey of the lexical evidence (i.e., what the words mean) has narrowed the scope of our investigation. It has also shown some of the cultural evidence (i.e., what the people did), but there is more in biblical and extra-biblical documents from the period that describes this specific use. In the absence of modern medical treatments, the therapeutic application of oil was a common remedy for a variety of ailments.

II. Cultural: How is 'anointing' used?¹⁴

Secular act— the rubbing of oil to produce a physical effect

• Therapeutic application (to treat disease)

a. Heal open wounds (Luke 10:34)¹⁵

Luke 10:34 [The Samaritan] came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on [them]; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

b. Raise body temperature (Josephus, Antiquities 17:172)¹⁶

Jos Ant 17:172 [Herod's] physicians decided to warm his body there and had seated him in a tub of (warm) oil....

c. Restore skin tone (Philo, Dc Somniis 2:58)

Philo Som 2.58 For unguents [ointments] what need was there to look for anything more than the fruit-juice pressed from the olive? For indeed it produces smoothness, and counteracts physical exhaustion, and brings about good condition. If a muscle be relaxed it braces it and renders it firm, nor is there anything surpassing it for infusing tone and vigor.

Summary: These biblical and extra-biblical passages show that oil is a popular remedy for a variety of ills at this time, which is probably why James recommends it. For many of the physical ailments his readers might suffer, there is likely to be some oil treatment.

Look again at Jms 5:14, and we will make a few additional observations about this practice.

Jms 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he must call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, [rubbing or daubing] him [on the affected area] with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

There are several things to notice here.

• The condition of the patient is serious.

The word translated "sick" implies a weakened condition. The patient's own efforts to this point, whether medical or spiritual, have been ineffective, and his ailment has drained him physically, so much that he cannot go for help but must summon help to him (so also Davids 1982:192).¹⁷

• The options for the patient are limited.

This is before health insurance and HMOs, before hospitals and public clinics, before medical schools and physician certification. It is difficult to distinguish people's knowledge of medicine from their superstitions about health. Hence, the opportunities for medical care of any kind are few, especially if the patient is poor (as some of James' readers are). His best and, perhaps, only recourse may be to appeal to the church for help. Presumably, some of the elders would be familiar with the elemental applications of oil, which, as we have noted, is a common treatment for many ailments at this time.¹⁸

• The emphasis of the passage is prayer.

The main reason for calling the elders is that they might pray. Anointing (a participle here) is a medical adjunct to the spiritual and primary exercise of prayer (the verb). In other words, James is advocating the continued use of therapeutic remedies but with a greater dependence on the efficacy of intercessory prayer.¹⁹

Conclusion: The lexical and cultural evidence indicates James is not giving his readers a new use for oil, sacramental in nature. That would have been unfamiliar to them (especially as they are Jews) and would have required more explanation than he provides. Rather, James is advising them that, even as they use the medicine of the day, dependence upon God is essential to the healing process.

While some biblical customs transcend their original setting, the practice of anointing the sick is no longer the most effective general remedy for treating disease. The principle of maintaining faith in God, however, even when all else fails, is timeless.

Application: Therefore, the proper application of this passage to illness today would be that a patient is to petition God's aid while using whatever medical treatments are available. If the patient's condition becomes critical, he should then ask for special intercession by the elders. Unless they are also physicians, though, their primary task is to pray.

Bibliography

• Albl, Martin C., 2002, "Are Any among You Sick?' The Health Care System in the Letter of James." JBL 121/1:123-143.
• Allen, Leslie C., 1976, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. NICOT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Burdick, Donald W., 1981, "James." EBC. Vol. 12. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.
• Davids, Peter, 1982, The Epistle of James. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Eager, George B., 1915, "Anointing." ISBE. 1:138.
• Huey, F.B., Jr., 1975, "Ointment." ZPEB. 5:515-518.
• Orelli, C. von, 1977, The Twelve Minor Prophets. Minneapolis: Klock & Klock Publishers, reprint of 1897 ed.
• Patch, James A., 1915, "Ointment." ISBE. 4:2183.
• Robertson, Archibald Thomas, 1933, Word Pictures in the New Testament. 6 vols. Nashville: Broadman Press.
• Schlier, Heinrich, 1964, TDNT 1:229-232.

Endnotes

(1) The examples below are primarily of the verb. All biblical citations are from the updated NASB, unless otherwise noted.

(2) God commanded specially prepared and exclusively used oil for this task. His people were not to duplicate the formula for any other application.

Exod 30:23 "Take ... the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25a "You shall make of these a holy anointing oil.... 30 "You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31 "You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 'It shall not be poured N/-po] on anyone's body, nor shall you make [any] like it in the same proportions; it is holy, [and] it shall be holy to you. 33 'Whoever shall mix [any] like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people."

Amos is probably not condemning the profane use of sacred oil but the mocking and ostentatious use of commercial oils, perhaps in parodies of the sacred ritual. This is the only secular use in scripture of (..) and, therefore, may be an assimilation to the sacred vessels earlier. (The commentaries do not address this matter.)

Amos 6:6a Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls while they anoint themselves with the finest of oils....

Other (figurative) uses include angels.

Ezek 28:14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you [there]. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

(3) Related passages that do not use the term include:

Ps 133:2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, [Even] Aaron's beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes.

 Consecration also applies to the sanctuary and its furnishings.

Lev 8:10 Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.

Dan 9:24 "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy [place].

(4) Other passages include:

Ps 23:5b You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

There is also the symbolic consecration of a foreign king.

Isa 45:1 Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

(5) In both NT uses, the anointing is figurative not literal. Neither Jesus nor the believer actually received the sacred oil (as was true also of Cyrus in n. 4). A compound using this word appears once in the NT and has a practical (therapeutic) use (see an apocrypha appearance in n. 10).

Rev 3:18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and [that] the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

(6) Other passages include:

Luke 4:18a "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

Heb 1:9 "YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS."

(7) Other passages include:

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

(8) The purpose in some passages is undesignated. It is simply "the ordinary use of oil for personal convenience and comfort" (Orelli 1977:216).

Exod 30:32 It [the sacred oil] shall not be poured on anyone's body, nor shall you make [any] like it in the same proportions; it is holy, [and] it shall be holy to you.

Deut 28:40 "You shall have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off.

Mic 6:15 "You will sow but you will not reap. You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil; And the grapes, but you will not drink wine.

(9) Perfumed oil served as a deodorant, masking body odors. Other passages include:

Esth 2:12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women—

Dan 10:3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.

Luke 7:38 and standing behind [Him] at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. 46 "You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume.

Patch offers a paraphrase of this verse: "My head with common oil thou didst not anoint; but she hath anointed my feet with costly scented oil" (1915:2183). Moreover, a shiny complexion was desirable.

Ps 104:15 And wine which makes man's heart glad, so that he may make [his] face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man's heart.

Judith 16:8 For she took off her widow's mourning to exalt the oppressed in Israel. She anointed her face with ointment and fastened her hair with a tiara and put on a linen gown to deceive him.

10 Putting oil on the skin after bathing prevented dryness and cracking in the warm climate (Huey 1975:515,517; Allen 1976:381). Other passages include:

Ruth 3:3 "Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your [best] clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; [but] do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

Ezek 16:9 "Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.

Judith 10:3 and she removed the sackcloth which she had been wearing, and took off her widow's garments, and bathed her body with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and combed her hair and put on a tiara, and arrayed herself in her gayest apparel, which she used to wear while her husband Manasseh was living.

Susanna 17 [= Dan 13:171 She said to her maids, "Bring me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors so that I may bathe."

War 2.123 Oil they [Essenes] consider defiling, and anyone who accidentally comes in contact with it scours his person; for they make a point of keeping a dry skin and of always being dressed in white.

Putting oil on the hair helped to keep vermin out. Other passages include:

Eccl 9:8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.

(11) Other passages that refer to the practice of medicine include:

Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, [only] bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.

Jer 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?

Jms 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

Rev 3:18 I advise you to buy from Me. . .eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Only in the realm of fantasy does anointing take on a supernatural quality.

Life Adam 36:1 Adam said to Eve.... 2 "Perhaps [God] will. . . send his angel to the tree of his mercy, from which flows the oil of life, and will give you a little of it with which to anoint me, that I might have rest from these pains by which I am wasting away."

2 Enoch 22:8 The LORD said to Michael, "Take Enoch, and... .anoint him with the delightful oil.... 9 And Michael... .anointed me with the delightful oil; and the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance like myrrh; and its shining is like the sun.

(12) Davids (who may be showing his Episcopal tradition) asserts that "the function of oil in James is not medicinal" but is "a sacramental vehicle of divine power" (1982:193; also Schlier 1964:232), an understanding of the word that goes beyond its usage during the period.

(13) "There are a number of reasons for understanding this application of oil as medicinal rather than sacramental. The word aleipsantes ("anoint") is not the usual word for sacramental or ritualistic anointing. James could have used the verb chriö if that had been what he had in mind. The distinction is still observed today in modern Greek, with aleiphö meaning 'to daub,' 'to smear,' and chriö meaning 'to anoint.' Furthermore, it is a well-documented fact that oil was one of the most common medicines of biblical times.... It is evident, then, that James is prescribing prayer and medicine." (Burdick 1981:204; see also Albl 2002:137 n. 54)

(14) While none of the passages in this section employs the Greek term, they all illustrate the practice.

(15) Other passages include:

Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, [Only] bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged. Nor softened with oil.

(16) Other passages include:

War 1:657 There, the physicians deciding to raise the temperature of his whole body with hot oil, he was lowered into a bath full of that liquid.... 

(17) This invitation may also reflect the custom of calling on a holy man when seeking a cure.

1 Kgs 17:17 . . . the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, "What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!" 19a He said to her, "Give me your son."

2 Kgs 4:20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and [then] died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut [the door] behind him and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return."

2 Kgs 5:1 . . . Naaman... was... a valiant warrior, [but he was] a leper. 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy."

b BB 116a R Phinehas b Hama [(late 4 1h c) said]: Whosoever has a sick person in his house should go to a sage who will invoke [heavenly] mercy on him.

b Ber 34b Our Rabbis taught: Once the son of R Gamaliel [mid-i't c] fell ill. He sent two scholars to R Hanina b Doas [mid-Pt c] to ask him to pray for him.

If the illness is the result of sin, the patient may have been separated from the community earlier, in which case his calling the elders may demonstrate repentance, and his healing "reintegrates the ill 'member' into the community body and restores harmony among the divided members" (Albi 2002:131).

1 Cor 5:5a [I have decided] to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.... 13b REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

1 Cor 11:30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

(18) While not healthcare providers, elders might be considered "nonprofessional specialists" (Albl 2002:140), a position that may have become an official part of their job description.

Polycarp Phil 6.1 And let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all.., visiting all the sick....

(19) At this point, even the treatment is "in the name of the Lord."

The use of olive oil was one of the best remedial agencies known to the ancients. They used it internally and externally. Some physicians prescribe it today. It is clear both in Mark 6:13 and here that medicinal value is attached to the use of oil and emphasis is placed on the worth of prayer. There is nothing here of the pagan magic or of the later practice of "extreme unction" (after the eighth century). It is by no means certain that aleiphö here and in Mark 6:13 means "anoint" in a ceremonial fashion rather than "rub" as it commonly does in medical treatises.... At bottom in James we have God and medicine, God and the doctor, and that is precisely where we are today. The best physicians believe in God and want the help of prayer. (Robertson 1933 6:64-65)

More difficult to understand is the writer's certainty that, following this procedure, God will cure the patient.

Jms 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

b Ned 41a R Alexandri [early 3rd ci said in the name of R Hiyya b Abba [mid-2nd c.]: A sick man does not recover from his sickness until all his sins are forgiven him.

This assurance seems too mechanical. It is rather likely that James is stating a general principle, "what is normally the case ... that the power in prayer will heal" (David 1982:194). The modern reader must not assume a universal guarantee of healing from this one verse. There may be mitigating factors, not the least of which is God's sovereign decision to withhold a cure.

2 Cor 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9a But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Tim 4:20b I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.

As Robertson notes, "Much is assumed here that is not expressed" (1933: 6:65).