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.” 36Now one of the Pharisees was asking Yeshua if He would eat with him. Upon entering the Pharisee’s home, He reclined at the table. And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she discovered that Yeshua was reclining at the Pharisee’s home, brought an alabaster jar of perfume. 38As she stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to drench His feet with tears and kept wiping them with her head of hair. Then she was kissing His feet and anointing them with perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee who invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this were a prophet, He would know what sort of woman is touching Him—that 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 5:30The Pharisees and their Torah scholars began murmuring to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
• Luke 18:13“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, wouldn’t even lift his eyes toward heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
• Luke 19:7But when everyone saw it, they began to grumble, saying, “Yeshua has gone to be the guest of a sinner!”
• Matthew 21:31Which of the two did the will of the father?” “The first,” they said. Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God.
• John 9:24So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner!”
• Romans 5:8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.
• 1 Timothy 1:9knowing that the Torah is not given for a tzaddik but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and worldly, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,
• 1 Peter 4:18Now, “if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what shall become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
• Matthew 26:7a woman came up to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive oil. And she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table.
• Mark 14:3And while Yeshua was in Bethany at the house of Simon ha-Metzora, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive oil of pure nard. Breaking open the jar, she poured it over His head.
• John 11:2This was the same Miriam who anointed the Master with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick.
• John 12:2So they prepared a dinner there for Yeshua. Martha was serving, 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