Luke 7:37–39

7:37 Then127 when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus128 was dining129 at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar130 of perfumed oil.131 7:38 As132 she stood133 behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She134 wiped them with her hair,135 kissed136 them,137 and anointed138 them with the perfumed oil. 7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this,139 he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,140 he would know who and what kind of woman141 this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”

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127	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).
128	tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
129	tn Grk “was reclining at table.”
130	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.
131	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. sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This perfumed oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
132	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.
133	tn Grk “standing”; the participle στᾶσα (stasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
134	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.
135	tn Grk “with the hair of her head.”
136	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.
137	tn Grk “kissed his feet,” but this has been replaced by the pronoun “them” in keeping with contemporary English style.
138	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.
139	tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
140	tn This is a good example of a second class (contrary to fact) Greek conditional sentence. The Pharisee said, in effect, “If this man were a prophet (but he is not) …”
141	sn The Pharisees believed in a form of separationism that would have prevented them from any kind of association with such a sinful woman.

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