Luke 7:34-38

7:34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him, ¹  a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ²  7:35 But wisdom is vindicated ³  by all her children.” ⁴ 

Jesus’ Anointing

7:36 Now one of the Pharisees ⁵  asked Jesus ⁶  to have dinner with him, so ⁷  he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. ⁸  7:37 Then ⁹  when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus ¹⁰  was dining ¹¹  at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar ¹²  of perfumed oil. ¹³  7:38 As ¹⁴  she stood ¹⁵  behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She ¹⁶  wiped them with her hair, ¹⁷  kissed ¹⁸  them, ¹⁹  and anointed ²⁰  them with the perfumed oil.

[7:34]  ¹ tn Grk “Behold a man.”

[7:34]  ² sn Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners. Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.

[7:35]  ³ tn Or “shown to be right.” This is the same verb translated “acknowledged… justice” in v. 29, with a similar sense – including the notion of response. Wisdom’s children are those who respond to God through John and Jesus.

[7:35]  ⁴ tn Or “by all those who follow her” (cf. CEV, NLT). Note that the parallel in Matt 11:19 reads “by her deeds.”

[7:36]  ⁵ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[7:36]  ⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:36]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ action was the result of the Pharisee’s invitation.

[7:36]  ⁸ tn Grk “and reclined at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[7:37]  ⁹ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[7:37]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:37]  ¹¹ tn Grk “was reclining at table.”

[7:37]  ¹² sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

[7:37]  ¹³ tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 38 and in v. 46.

[7:38]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And standing.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:38]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “standing”; the participle στᾶσα (stasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:38]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “tears, and she.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:38]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “with the hair of her head.”

[7:38]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and kissed,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:38]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “kissed his feet,” but this has been replaced by the pronoun “them” in keeping with contemporary English style.

[7:38]  ²⁰ sn The series of verbs in this verse detail the woman’s every move, much as if the onlookers were watching her every step. That she attended the meal is not so surprising, as teachers often ate an open meal where listeners were welcome, but for her to approach Jesus was unusual and took great nerve, especially given her reputation.