The Greek epicheo (Strong's G2022) means 'to pour upon' or 'to pour over.' It combines epi (upon) and cheo (to pour). Its sole New Testament appearance is in Luke 10:34, where the Good Samaritan pours oil and wine on the wounds of the beaten man. The word is set in one of Jesus's most defining parables of compassion and mercy.
The Samaritan's act of epicheo — pouring oil and wine on wounds — is medicinal in practice but sacramental in theology. Oil soothes and protects; wine disinfects and cleanses. Together they were the standard first aid of the ancient world, but Jesus selects this precise detail to show that genuine mercy is practical, costly, and self-giving. The Samaritan did not merely feel compassion (splanchnizomai) — he acted. He poured. He bound. He carried. He paid. The parable answers not 'who is my neighbor?' but 'who is being a neighbor?' — and the answer is the one who pours himself out in service to the broken.