Matthew 6:17

Matthew 6:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
• New International Version (NIV)But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
• English Standard Version (ESV)But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

Context of Matthew 6:17

15But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins. 16“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 19“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

Matthew 6:17 word by word

σὺ δὲ νηστεύων ἄλειψαί σου τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαιRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• thouσύsu · youG4771
• when thou fastestνηστεύωnēsteuō · to fastG3522
• anointἀλείφωaleiphō · to anointG218
• headὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• headκεφαλήkephalē · headG2776
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• washνίπτωniptō · to washG3538
• faceπρόσωπονprosōpon · faceG4383

Cross-references for Matthew 6:17

• Ruth 3:3So bathe yourself, rub on some perfumed oil, and get dressed up. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he finishes his meal.
• 2 Samuel 14:2So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time.
• Ecclesiastes 9:8Let your clothes always be white, and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
• Daniel 10:2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks.

Commentaries on Matthew 6:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Anoint thine head and wash thy face - These were forbidden in the Jewish canon on days of fasting and humiliation; and hypocrites availed themselves of this ordinance, that they might appear to fast. Our Lord, therefore, cautions us against this: as if he had said, Affect nothing - dress in thy ordinary manner, and let the whole of thy deportment prove that thou desirest to recommend my soul to God, and not thy face to men. That factitious mourning, which…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17But thou when thou fastest, anoint … - That is, appear as you do daily. Do not assume any new appearance, or change your visage or dress. The Jews and all neighboring nations were much in the habit of washing and anointing their bodies. This washing was performed at every meal; and where it could be effected, the head, or other parts of the body, was daily anointed with sweet or olive oil. In a warm climate, exposed to the great heat of the sun, this…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-18Verses 16-18 Religious fasting is a duty required of the disciples of Christ, but it is not so much a duty itself, as a means to dispose us for other duties. Fasting is the humbling of the soul, Psa 35:13; that is the inside of the duty; let that, therefore, be thy principal care, and as to the outside of it, covet not to let it be seen. God sees in secret, and will reward openly.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face--as the Jews did, except when mourning (Da 10:3); so that the meaning is, "Appear as usual"--appear so as to attract no notice.Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 6:17

• Ablution
• Commandments
• Fasting
• Motive
• Pharisees
• Religion

In the dictionaries

• Add
• Appear
• Closet
• Consider
• Corrupt
• Countenance
• Despise
• Fast
• Forgive
• Glory

Commentaries on Matthew 6

• 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