Bible Strands
Luke 7:46
You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses Simon the Pharisee during a meal, contrasting Simon’s failure to honor Him with a woman’s act of devotion.
The words — The verb ἤλειψας (ēleipsas) means "you anointed," while κεφαλὴν (kephalēn) specifies "head," marking the expected place of hospitality.
The thread — The text contrasts head-anointing with foot-anointing, running parallel to honor customs in Psalm 23:5, Ecclesiastes 9:8, and Matthew 6:17.
Why it lands — The passage states that withheld customary honor is replaced by extravagant devotion, requiring the reader to measure their own responses against observed grace.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Cross-references
- Psalms 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
- Ecclesiastes 9:8 Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
- Matthew 6:17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
- Ruth 3:3 Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
- 2 Samuel 14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.
- Psalms 104:15 wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
- Daniel 10:3 I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.
- Amos 6:6 You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
- Micah 6:15 You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine.