You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus highlights the stark contrast between the host's ordinary neglect and the sinner's extraordinary devotion, noting that the familiar custom of anointing a guest's head with simple oil was overlooked, while the woman used costly perfume for his feet. This wasn't just about politeness; it showed the vast difference between a formal, lukewarm welcome and a passionate, grateful response to profound mercy received.
You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee named Simon, and a woman known for her sinful past shows up. She pours expensive ointment on Jesus' feet, washes them with her tears, and dries them with her hair, actions that deeply offend the Pharisee. Jesus then uses this moment to confront Simon's unspoken judgment, contrasting the woman's extravagant devotion with Simon's utter lack of customary hospitality.
Why did Simon, the host, offer so little, while the 'sinner' offered so much? It’s about more than just hospitality; it’s about their view of Christ.
Hospitality's True Measure
Jesus uses the contrast between Simon and the woman to expose their inner attitudes toward Him.
Simon's Lacking Welcome:
The Woman's Overflowing Affection:
Ask a follow-up
The Difference: Perception of Grace
Jesus later explains this stark contrast: 'Her many sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, loves little' (Luke 7:47). The amount of love wasn't the cause of forgiveness, but the evidence of it. Her lavish actions flowed from a profound understanding of how much she had been forgiven.
Why did she anoint His feet and not His head? It reveals a profound humility born from recognizing her sin and Christ's divine grace.
Feet vs. Head: A Choice of Humility
Jesus points out that the woman didn't presume to do what Simon neglected – anointing His head with common oil. Instead, she focused on His feet with a costly, fragrant ointment.
Simon saw a sinner; Jesus saw a soul deeply transformed by grace. What was Simon missing, and how does it still trip us up today?
Simon's Blind Spot: The Nature of Christ
Simon the Pharisee fundamentally misunderstood Jesus' mission and identity. His internal monologue reveals his error:
'If this man were a prophet, he would have known… who and what sort of woman this is, for she is a sinner.'
Jesus' Counter-Argument:
The Danger of Self-Righteousness:
Understand the original words
aleiphō · Greek Verb
To smear or rub with oil as a sign of hospitality, consecration, or healing. In a biblical context, it serves as a mark of honor, set-apartness, or refreshment.
The verse highlights Jesus' dinner at a Pharisee's house, a specific event where His actions and the woman's devotion contrasted sharply with the host's minimal hospitality and judgmental attitude, revealing Jesus' mission to forgive sinners.
1st century AD
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee and Judea
Jesus travels and preaches throughout regions like Galilee and Judea, attracting large crowds and gaining a reputation as a prophet.
Early to Mid-1st century AD
Pharisees' Role in Jewish Society
Pharisees are a prominent religious group, deeply invested in upholding the Law and often critical of those perceived as sinners or deviating from strict observance.
Early to Mid-1st century AD
Customs of Hospitality in the Ancient Near East
When hosting a guest, especially an honored one, customary acts of hospitality included providing water to wash feet, a kiss of greeting, and anointing the head with oil.
Early to Mid-1st century AD— this verse
Jesus dines at Simon the Pharisee's house
Jesus accepts an invitation to eat at the home of Simon, a Pharisee, where a woman, known in the city as a sinner, approaches Jesus.
Early to Mid-1st century AD
Woman anoints Jesus' feet
A woman considered a sinner enters the house, weeps at Jesus' feet, washes them with her tears, dries them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with precious ointment.
Early to Mid-1st century AD
Jesus pronounces forgiveness and faith
Jesus contrasts Simon's lack of hospitality with the woman's extravagant devotion, declares her many sins forgiven due to her great love, and tells her that her faith has saved her.
This verse uses similar imagery of fragrant ointment, highlighting its preciousness and the delight it brings, which parallels the costly ointment the woman used to honor Jesus.
Psalm 23:5This Psalm mentions anointing a head with oil as a sign of honor and abundance, directly contrasting with the Pharisee's lack of this common courtesy, which Jesus points out.
1 Samuel 16:13This passage describes David being anointed with oil by Samuel, showing oil as a symbol of being chosen and set apart, further emphasizing the significance of the anointing Jesus received from the woman.
Matthew 26:7This parallel account of Mary anointing Jesus' head with a very expensive ointment showcases a similar act of extravagant devotion, reinforcing the theme of costly worship directed towards Jesus.
Romans 5:8This verse speaks to the immense love God demonstrated by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners, providing the theological foundation for why great love (like the woman's) is a natural response to great forgiveness.
calvinLuke 7:36-50: "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat."
- And one of the Pharisees requested him to take food with him; and he entered into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down at table. 37. And, lo, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she knew that he sat at table in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster box of ointment: [236] 38. And sitting at his feet behind him, and weeping, she beg…
pulpitLuke 7:46: "My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment."
Verse 46. - My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. "It never entered thy thoughts to pay me the homage - and yet I had helped thee, too, a little - of pouring oil on my head" (this was by no means an unusual mark of respect in the case of an honoured guest; to one who, under the burning sun of Palestine, had walked, perhaps, some distance…
Jesus highlights the stark contrast between the host's ordinary neglect and the sinner's extraordinary devotion, noting that the familiar custom of anointing a guest's head with simple oil was overlooked, while the woman used costly perfume for his feet. This wasn't just about politeness; it showed the vast difference between a formal, lukewarm welcome and a passionate, grateful response to profound mercy received.
Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee named Simon, and a woman known for her sinful past shows up. She pours expensive ointment on Jesus' feet, washes them with her tears, and dries them with her hair, actions that deeply offend the Pharisee. Jesus then uses this moment to confront Simon's unspoken judgment, contrasting the woman's extravagant devotion with Simon's utter lack of customary hospitality.
Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee named Simon, and a woman known for her sinful past shows up. She pours expensive ointment on Jesus' feet, washes them with her tears, and dries them with her hair, actions that deeply offend the Pharisee. Jesus then uses this moment to confront Simon's unspoken judgment, contrasting the woman's extravagant devotion with Simon's utter lack of customary hospitality.
"You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment." — Jesus highlights the stark contrast between the host's ordinary neglect and the sinner's extraordinary devotion, noting that the familiar custom of anointing a guest's head with simple oil was overlo…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026