7:38a
she stood behind Him at His feet: The woman stood behind Jesus. He was lying down on a couch with his head near the table and his feet away from the table. She was standing next to his feet.
weeping: The action of weeping often expresses sorrow. Here the woman may have been feeling sorrow over the sinful life that she had lived. However, she was probably weeping mainly because she was very grateful to Jesus that he had forgiven her. In this context the word weeping does not imply loud wailing and crying out.
In some languages it may be helpful to include a footnote about the reason for the woman’s weeping. For example:
The woman may have been crying because she was sorry for her sins and/or because she was so thankful that her sins were forgiven (verse 47). (Translator’s Reference Translation)
7:38b
began to wet His feet with her tears: As the woman wept, her tears fell down on Jesus’ feet. The tears started to make Jesus’ feet wet, and as they continued to fall, they continued to make them wet. In some languages a word like “began” may not be necessary. Other ways to translate this are:
and washed his feet with her tears (God’s Word)
-or-
His feet were wet with her tears (Revised English Bible)
General Comment on 7:38a–b
In 7:38a the woman was standing, but the actions in the rest of the verse imply that she was kneeling or sitting at his feet. In some languages it may be helpful to make this information explicit. For example:
she stood behind him at his feet weeping. ⌊Then⌋ she ⌊knelt and⌋ began to wet his feet…
7:38c
wipe them with her hair: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wipe implies that the woman did this action many times. As her tears fell on Jesus’ feet, she used her hair like a towel to wipe his feet.
kissed His feet: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kissed implies that the woman kissed Jesus’ feet many times. Kissing his feet was a sign of deep reverence and humility, as well as gratitude.
kissed: In this context the word kissed indicates that the woman rounded her lips slightly, touched or pressed them to Jesus’ feet, and withdrew them. In some cultures, the action of kissing is not known. In other cultures, the action may imply something inappropriate in this context. If that is true in your language, here are some options to consider:
• Use a descriptive phrase and indicate the meaning of the action. For example:
She kept touching her lips to his feet ⌊to show her respect/gratitude⌋.
• Use a more general expression. For example:
She bowed over his feet repeatedly ⌊thanking him from her heart⌋.
7:38d
anointed them with the perfume: The pronoun them refers to Jesus’ feet. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as anointed describes the action of applying oil or ointment to part of the body and rubbing it in. Here the term “anointed” does not imply a religious act. Other ways to translate this are:
putting perfume on them (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
rubbed them with the perfume
-or-
put the scented oil on them and rubbed it in
It was not the usual custom to put oil on someone’s feet. Normally people put it on the head. It is not clear if the woman poured out part or all of the scented oil. However, the form of the Greek verb here implies that the woman poured out the oil and rubbed it into Jesus’ feet many times.
General Comment on 7:37b–38d
There are eight verbs in 7:37b–38d. They are all part of one sentence in Greek. In Greek the first four verbs are background information, and the last four are the main verbs that describe four important actions. Here is the structure in Greek:
Background actions:
knowing that Jesus was eating,
bringing an alabaster jar of scented oil,
standing behind him,
weeping,
Main actions:
she began to wet his feet,
and was drying them,
and was kissing his feet,
and was rubbing ⌊them⌋ with the oil.
Translate these actions in a natural way in your language.
General Comment on 7:38c–d
In 7:38c–d the woman wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, kissed his feet, and put scented oil on them. These actions expressed reverence and love. The actions were unusual in Jewish culture, but they were not offensive. They did not express any wrong sexual connotations. If these gestures might be considered offensive in your culture, it may be helpful to include a footnote. For example:
What the woman did showed great humility on her part and honored Jesus. These gestures also showed the grateful love that the woman had for Jesus. These were unusual acts in Jewish culture.
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