LUKE 7:37 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]Then wow, a sinful woman from the city who knew that he was reclining in there, came into the room carrying a beautiful carved stone flask of scented skin-cream.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And behold, a woman who was in the city was a sinner. And having found out that he was reclining to eat in the house of the Pharisee, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil

UST There was also a woman in that city who had a bad reputation. When she heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee’s house, she went there, bringing a stone jar that contained perfume.

BSB When a sinful woman from [that] town learned that [Jesus] was dining [there], she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.

BLB And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner. And she having known that He had reclined in the Pharisee's house, having taken an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,

AICNT And behold, a woman who was a sinner in the city, and knowing that he was reclining in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster jar of ointment

OEB Just then a woman, who was an outcast in the town, having heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of perfume,

WEBBE Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.

LSV and behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having known that He reclines in the house of the Pharisee, having provided an alabaster box of ointment,

FBV A woman who was a sinner[fn] in that town found out that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee's house. She went there, carrying an alabaster jar of perfume.

7:37 Usually understood to mean that she was living an immoral life.

TCNT And behold, when a woman in that city who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of ointment.

T4T There was a woman in that city who many people knew had been a prostitute [EUP]. She heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee’s house. So she went there, taking a stone jar that contained perfume.

LEB And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she[fn] learned that he was dining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed oil,

7:37 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“learned”) which is understood as temporal

BBE And there was a woman in the town who was a sinner; and when she had news that he was a guest in the Pharisee's house, she took a bottle of perfume,

Moff Now there was a woman in the town who was a sinner, and when she found out that Jesus was at table in the house of the Pharisee, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume

Wymth And there was a woman in the town who was a notorious sinner. Having learnt that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house she brought a flask of perfume,

ASV And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner; and when she knew that he was sitting at meat in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster cruse of ointment,

DRA And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that he sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment;

YLT and lo, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having known that he reclineth (at meat) in the house of the Pharisee, having provided an alabaster box of ointment,

Drby and behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, and knew that he was sitting at meat in the house of the Pharisee, having taken an alabaster box of myrrh,

RV And behold, a woman which was in the city, a sinner; and when she knew that he was sitting at meat in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster cruse of ointment,

SLT And, behold, a woman in the city, who was sinful, knowing that he is reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, having brought an alabaster box of perfumed oil,

Wbstr And behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster-box of ointment,

KJB-1769 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,

KJB-1611 And behold, a woman in the citie which was a sinner, when shee knew that Iesus sate at meat in the Pharisees house, brought an Alabaster boxe of ointment,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps And beholde, a woman in that citie, which was a sinner, assoone as she knewe that Iesus sate at meate in the pharisees house, she brought an alabaster boxe of oyntment:
(And behold, a woman in that city, which was a sinner, as soon as she knew that Yesus/Yeshua sat at meat in the Pharisees house, she brought an alabaster box of ointment:)

Gnva And beholde, a woman in the citie, which was a sinner, when she knewe that Iesus sate at table in the Pharises house, shee brought a boxe of oyntment.
(And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Yesus/Yeshua sat at table in the Pharisees house, she brought a box of ointment. )

Cvdl And beholde, there was in the cite a woma, which was a synner. Whe she knewe that Iesus sat at the table in the Pharises house, she brought a boxe with oyntment,
(And behold, there was in the cite a woma, which was a sinner. When she knew that Yesus/Yeshua sat at the table in the Pharisees house, she brought a box with ointment,)

TNT And beholde a woman in that cite which was a synner assone as she knewe that. Iesus sate at meate in the pharises housse she brought an alablaster boxe of oyntment
(And behold a woman in that cite which was a sinner as soon as she knew that. Yesus/Yeshua sat at meat in the Pharisees house she brought an alablaster box of ointment )

Wycl And lo! a synful womman, that was in the citee, as sche knewe, that Jhesu sat at the mete in the hous of the Farisee, sche brouyte an alabaustre box of oynement;
(And lo! a sinful woman, that was in the city, as she knew, that Yhesu sat at the meet in the house of the Farisee, she brought an alabaustre box of ointment;)

Luth Und siehe, ein Weib war in der Stadt, die war eine Sünderin. Da die vernahm, daß er zu Tische saß in des Pharisäers Hause, brachte sie ein Glas mit Salben
(And see/look, a woman what/which in the/of_the city, the what/which a/one sinnersin. So the heard, that he to/for tables sat in the Phariseess house, brought they/she/them a Glas with ointment)

ClVg Et ecce mulier, quæ erat in civitate peccatrix, ut cognovit quod accubuisset in domo pharisæi, attulit alabastrum unguenti:[fn]
(And behold woman, which was in/into/on city sinsrix, as he_knew that accubuisset in/into/on at_home Pharisees, brought alabastrum ointments: )

7.37 In domo. In cujuscunque domo interiore cognoveris sapientiam et justitiam recumbentem, recurre ad pedes, id est, ad extremam sapientiæ partem, inquire lacrymis, confitere peccata, expande capillos, id est, sterne ante eum cunctas corporis tui dignitates, osculare, id est, nihil nisi sapientiam loqueris. Attulit. Quot habuit in se oblectamenta, tot de se invenit holocausta. HIER. Alabastrum unguenti, id est, corpus cum fide, etc., usque ad id est, peccata Judæorum.

7.37 In at_home. In whosecunque at_home interiore cognoveris wisdom and justice recumbentem, recurre to feet, that it_is, to extremam of_wisdom part, inquire with_tears, confitere sins, expande capillos, that it_is, sterne before him all body yours(sg) dignitys, osculare, that it_is, nothing except wisdom you_speak. Attulit. How_many had in/into/on himself oblectamenta, so_many from/about himself he_found burnt_offerings. HIER. Alabastrum ointments, that it_is, body when/with with_faith, etc., until to that it_is, sins Yudahorum.

UGNT καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἁμαρτωλός; καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι κατάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου, κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου,
(kai idou gunaʸ haʸtis aʸn en taʸ polei hamartōlos; kai epignousa hoti katakeitai en taʸ oikia tou Farisaiou, komisasa alabastron murou,)

SBL-GNT καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ⸂ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει⸃ ἁμαρτωλός, ⸀καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι ⸀κατάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου, κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου
(kai idou gunaʸ ⸂haʸtis aʸn en taʸ polei⸃ hamartōlos, ⸀kai epignousa hoti ⸀katakeitai en taʸ oikia tou Farisaiou, komisasa alabastron murou)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἰδού, γυνὴ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἥτις ἦν ἁμαρτωλός, ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι ἀνάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου, κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου,
(Kai idou, gunaʸ en taʸ polei, haʸtis aʸn hamartōlos, epignousa hoti anakeitai en taʸ oikia tou Farisaiou, komisasa alabastron murou,)

TC-GNT Καὶ ἰδού, γυνὴ [fn]ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἥτις ἦν ἁμαρτωλός, [fn]ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι [fn]ἀνάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου, κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου,
(Kai idou, gunaʸ en taʸ polei, haʸtis aʸn hamartōlos, epignousa hoti anakeitai en taʸ oikia tou Farisaiou, komisasa alabastron murou, )

7:37 εν τη πολει ητις ην ¦ ητις ην εν τη πολει CT

7:37 επιγνουσα ¦ και επιγνουσα 𝔐^pt ANT CT PCK

7:37 ανακειται ¦ κατακειται CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:36–50: Jesus forgave a woman’s sins and taught a Pharisee about love

In this section a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to be the guest of honor at a dinner in his home. While Jesus was there, a sinful woman came and washed his feet with her tears. She dried them with her hair, kissed them, and poured scented oil on them. By these unusual actions, the woman honored Jesus and showed that she loved him.

By contrast, Simon neglected common ways to honor a guest. He did not greet Jesus with a kiss or give him water to wash his feet or put oil on his head. Jesus said that the woman’s acts of love showed that her sins had been forgiven. Simon’s failure to show love showed that his sins had not been forgiven.

Certain Jewish customs help to explain some of the actions in this story:

For special meals, the Jews usually ate at low tables and reclined on couches or cushions with their feet extended away from the table. This made it easier for the woman to kiss Jesus’ feet and pour perfume on them. (See the notes at 7:36b.)
When a religious teacher such as Jesus was invited to a feast, he ate with the host and the other invited guests. People who had not been invited were allowed to come in quietly and listen to what the teacher said. They were not supposed to join the invited guests.
Often a slave washed the feet of the guests. People considered feet to be dirty. When the woman washed Jesus’ feet and kissed them, she humbled herself and honored Jesus.

This section is not explicitly connected to the preceding one, but it does illustrate some of the statements in 7:29–35. The woman was a person who “acknowledged God’s justice” (7:29). Simon the Pharisee was one of those who “rejected God’s purpose for themselves” (7:30).

Some other possible headings for this section are:

A sinful woman washes Jesus’ feet at the home of a Pharisee named Simon

Jesus compares a Pharisee and a sinful woman

7:37a

When a sinful woman from that town

At that same time, a certain sinful woman lived in that town.
And listen! An immoral woman in that town

When a sinful woman from that town: This part of the verse introduces the woman into the story. Consider how to introduce her in a natural way in your language. For example:

And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner (NASB)

In Greek, this part of the verse begins with a word that many English versions translate as “behold.” It draws attention to what follows it. Here it probably draws attention to the woman and her surprising actions toward Jesus. Many English versions do not translate it. Consider whether you have a word or phrase in your language that would fit here. Some ways to translate it in English are:

look

listen

a sinful woman from that town: The Greek word that the BSB translates literally as sinful implies that this woman had been immoral. She may have been a prostitute. However, because this is not certain, you should use a more general expression that can include this type of sin. For example:

a woman…who had a bad name in the town (NJB)

a woman from that town who had a bad reputation

The point of this statement is that the people in the room considered the woman to be a “sinner.”

7:37b

learned that Jesus was dining there,

She discovered that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house!
heard that Jesus was having dinner at the Pharisee’s house.

learned that Jesus was dining there: The word learned here indicates that the woman heard in some way that Jesus was in the Pharisee’s house.

was dining: The Greek word that the BSB translates as was dining is literally “was lying/reclining.” See the note on “reclined at the table” at 7:36b. The position is not in focus here, so it is fine to use a more general expression. For example:

was at table (RSV)

was eating (NIV)

was a guest (REB)

7:37c

she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.

So she brought scented oil in a jar made of stone/alabaster
She went there carrying a beautiful bottle containing sweet-smelling oil.

an alabaster jar of perfume: In this phrase the perfume is most important, not the alabaster jar. Your translation should keep the perfume in focus. For example:

she brought perfume in an alabaster jar

alabaster jar: An alabaster jar was a small, expensive container like a vial or bottle. It was made from a beautiful white and yellow stone called alabaster that came from Egypt.The Greek word αλαβαστρον came to refer to any perfume vial or flask in general, since they were most commonly made of alabaster. (See Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, pp. 439–440 including the footnote on p. 439.)

Some ways to translate the word alabaster are:

Borrow the word from a major language version and add a descriptive phrase. For example:
a flask/bottle made of alabaster
a jar/bottle made of a beautiful stone called alabaster
Use a descriptive phrase that describes the significance of alabaster in the context. For example:
a beautiful bottle/vial
Use a general term. For example:
a bottle (GW)

If you use a descriptive phrase, be sure that it is not so complex that it distracts people. You should not substitute a different material for “alabaster,” because this verse describes a real event.

of perfume: The word perfume here refers to a scented oil.We are not told what type of perfumed oil this was, and so we cannot be sure of the value. Some scholars assume this would have been an expensive perfume such as nard, possibly by analogy with Matthew 26:6–13 (parallel to Mark 14:3–9) and John 12:1–8. Edersheim (Messiah, pp. 439–440) suggests this probably was a locally made perfumed oil with a mixture of scents “known in antiquity as foliatum” and which was “so common among Jewish women.” He also mentions scented oils made locally from roses and irises. Henri Daniel-Rops (Daily Life in the Time of Jesus, p. 305) also mentions that an imitation of the expensive nard was made from a local plant and that scented oils were made from a variety of flowers including lily, rose, and jasmine. If you do not have a general word in your language for this, you could:

Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
sweet-smelling oil
that which makes you smell nice
Describe this as like something that people in your culture use to cause a person’s body to smell nice. For example:
something like coconut oil

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἰδοὺ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἰδού γυνή ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἁμαρτωλός καί ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι κατάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου)

Luke uses the term behold to calls the reader’s attention to what he is about to say. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use here.

Note 2 topic: writing-participants

γυνὴ ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει

Luke uses this phrase to introduce a new character into the story. If your language has its own way of doing that, you could use it here in your translation. Alternate translation: [there was woman who lived in that city]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἁμαρτωλός

˓a˒_sinner

Luke is speaking from the perspective of the Pharisee when he says that the woman was a sinner. Since the Pharisee would likely not have known her personally, this is an implicit reference to her reputation. She may have been a prostitute, as UST suggests. Alternate translation: [who had a reputation for living a sinful life]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

κομίσασα

˓having˒_brought_back

In this culture, if people wanted to hear what someone’s special dinner guest had to say, they were allowed to come and stand around the walls of the banqueting hall and listen, even if they had not been invited to share in the meal. And so this woman was allowed to enter and listen to Jesus. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that specifically. Alternate translation: [she came into the banquet hall as a visitor, bringing]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

ἀλάβαστρον

˓an˒_alabaster_flask

The word alabaster is the name of a soft, white stone. People stored precious and valuable items in jars made from alabaster. Alternate translation: [a jar made of soft, white stone]

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

μύρου

˱of˲_ointment

This oil had fragrant additives. To make a nice smell, people would rub the oil on themselves or sprinkle their clothing with it. Alternate translation: [that contained oil with perfume in it]

Parallel LUKE 7:37

Section 7:36–50: Jesus forgave a woman’s sins and taught a Pharisee about love

7:37a

7:37b

7:37c