New International Version
Luke 7:38
38As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Luke 7:38 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
- New King James Version (NKJV)and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
Context of Luke 7:38
36When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37A 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. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.
Read all of Luke 7Luke 7:38 word by word
καὶ στᾶσα ὀπίσω παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, κλαίουσα τοῖς δάκρυσιν ἤρξατο βρέχειν τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ταῖς θριξὶν τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς ἐξέμασσεν καὶ κατεφίλει τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤλειφεν τῷ μύρῳ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- stoodἵστημιhistēmi · to standG2476
- atπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- feetὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- feetπούςpous · footG4228
- behindὀπίσωopisō · afterG3694
- weepingκλαίωklaiō · to weepG2799
- and beganἄρχομαιarchomai · to rule/beginG756
- to washβρέχωbrechō · to rain downG1026
- with tearsδάκρυ, δάκρυονdakru dakruon · teardropG1144
- did wipeἐκμάσσωekmassō · to wipe offG1591
- with the hairsθρίξthrix trichos · hairG2359
- headκεφαλήkephalē · headG2776
- kissedκαταφιλέωkataphileō · to kissG2705
- anointedἀλείφωaleiphō · to anointG218
- with the ointmentμύρονmuron · ointmentG3464
Cross-references for Luke 7:38
- Luke 6:21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
- Luke 22:62And he went outside and wept bitterly.
- Judges 2:4When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,
- Ezra 10:1While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.
- Psalms 6:6I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
- Psalms 38:18I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
- Psalms 51:17My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
- Psalms 126:5Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
- Isaiah 61:3and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
- Jeremiah 31:9They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
- Joel 2:12“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
- Zechariah 12:10“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
- Matthew 5:4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- 2 Corinthians 7:10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
- James 4:9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
- Luke 7:44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
Commentaries on Luke 7:38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Stood at his feet behind him - In taking their meals, the eastern people reclined on one side; the loins and knees being bent to make the more room, the feet of each person were turned outwards behind him. This is the meaning of standing Behind at his Feet. Began to wash his feet with tears - - , She began to water his feet - to let a shower of tears fall on them. As the Jews wore nothing like our shoes, (theirs being a mere sole, bound about the foot and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38Stood at his feet behind him - They reclined, at their meals, on their left side, and their feet, therefore, were extended from the table, so that persons could easily approach them. See the notes at Matthew 23:6. Began to wash his feet - The Jews wore sandals. These were taken off when they entered a house. It was an act of hospitality and kindness to wash the feet of a guest. “She” therefore began to show her love for the Saviour, and at the same time…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. 38she stood behind Him: At a banquet, people ate while lying on their sides around a low table, with their feet stretched out behind them. Because of this, the woman could not reach the head of Jesus to anoint him (to pour oil on him as a sign of honor), so she poured the perfume on his feet. wipe them with her hair: In that culture, a woman normally kept her hair covered in public. Letting her hair down could bring shame and even give a husband reason for…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 7:38
In the dictionaries
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
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