Luke 7:37

Luke 7:37 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
• New International Version (NIV)A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,

Context of Luke 7:37

35Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” 36Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume. 39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him — she’s a sinner!”

Luke 7:37 word by word

καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἁμαρτωλός. καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι κατάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου, κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρουRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• beholdὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• a womanγυνήgunē · womanG1135
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the cityὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
• whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• a sinnerἁμαρτωλόςhamartōlos · sinfulG268
• when she knewἐπιγινώσκωepiginōskō · to come to knowG1921
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• sat at meatἀνάκειμαιanakeimai · to reclineG345
• the Pharisee’sΦαρισαῖοςPharisaios · PhariseeG5330
• houseοἰκίαoikia · homeG3614
• broughtκομίζωkolumbaō · to bring/be repaidG2865
• an alabaster boxἀλάβαστρονalabastron · jarG211
• of ointmentμύρονmuron · ointmentG3464

Cross-references for Luke 7:37

• Luke 7:34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
• Luke 5:30But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
• Luke 18:13“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner! ’
• Luke 19:7All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.”
• Matthew 21:31Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
• John 9:24So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
• Romans 5:8But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• 1 Timothy 1:9We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
• 1 Peter 4:18And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?
• Matthew 26:7a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table.
• Mark 14:3While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head.
• John 11:2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.
• John 12:2So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him.

Commentaries on Luke 7:37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37A woman - which was a sinner - Many suppose that this woman had been a notorious public prostitute; but this is taking the subject by the very worst handle. My own opinion is, that she had been a mere heathen who dwelt in this city, (probably Capernaum), who, through the ministry of Christ, had been before this converted to God, and came now to give this public testimony of her gratitude to her gracious deliverer from the darkness and guilt of sin. I am…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37In the city - What city is meant is unknown. Some have supposed it was Nain; some Capernaum; some Magdala; and some Jerusalem. Which was a sinner - Who was depraved or wicked. This woman, it seems, was known to be a sinner - perhaps an abandoned woman or a prostitute. It is certain that she had much to be forgiven, and she had probably passed her life in crime. There is no evidence that this was the woman commonly called Mary Magdalene. An alabaster-box ……Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 36-50Verses 36-50 None can truly perceive how precious Christ is, and the glory of the gospel, except the broken-hearted. But while they feel they cannot enough express self-abhorrence on account of sin, and admiration of his mercy, the self-sufficient will be disgusted, because the gospel encourages such repenting sinners. The Pharisee, instead of rejoicing in the tokens of the woman's repentance, confined his thoughts to her former bad character. But without…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 37a sinful woman: This suggests she was known in the community as a person with a bad moral reputation. Some people think she may have been a prostitute, but the passage does not state this explicitly. Alabaster is a soft stone, often white, yellow, or red. People used it to make costly containers, such as this beautiful jar.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 36-5037-38. a sinner--one who had led a profligate life. Note.--There is no ground whatever for the popular notion that this woman was Mary Magdalene, nor do we know what her name was. (See on Lu 8:2.) an alabaster box of ointment--a perfume vessel, in some cases very costly (Joh 12:5). "The ointment has here a peculiar interest, as the offering by a penitent of what had been an accessory in her unhallowed work of sin" [Alford].Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 7:37

• Alabaster
• Anointing
• Box
• Eating
• Faith
• Jesus, the Christ
• Repentance
• Self-Righteousness
• Simon

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Alabaster
• Apparel
• Delicately
• Eating
• Frankly
• Instantly
• Magdalene
• Meals

Commentaries on Luke 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings