Matthew 6:17 BSB — MannaFest

Matthew 6:17

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;

KJV

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

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Commentary

3 voices

Jerome

Commentary on Matthew (420)

(Verse 17 and following) But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting to men, but to your Father who is in secret: and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. He is speaking according to the custom of the province of Palestine, where they usually anoint their heads on festive days. Therefore, he commanded us to show ourselves joyful and festive when we fast.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

But thou, when thou fastest,.... Christ allows of fasting, but what is of a quite different kind from that of the Jews; which lay not in an outward abstinence from food, and other conveniences of life, and refreshments of nature; but in an abstinence from sin, in acknowledgment and confession of it; and in the exercise of faith and hope in God, as a God pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin; wherefore cheerfulness, and a free use of the creatures, without an abuse of them, best became such persons.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

But thou when thou fastest, anoint ... - That is, appear as you do daily. Do not assume any new appearance, or change your visage or dress. The Jews and all neighboring nations were much in the habit of washing and anointing their bodies. This washing was performed at every meal; and where it could be effected, the head, or other parts of the body, was daily anointed with sweet or olive oil.

J.C. Ryle

1816–1900

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew (1856)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

12 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
σὺ	su	You yourself	G4771 →
δὲ	de	however	G1161 →
νηστεύων	nēsteuōn	fasting	G3522 →
ἄλειψαί	aleipsai	do anoint yourself	G218 →
σου	sou	your	G4771 →
τὴν	tēn	<the>	G3588 →
κεφαλὴν	kephalēn	head	G2776 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
πρόσωπόν	prosōpon	face	G4383 →
σου	sou	of you	G4771 →
νίψαι	nipsai	do wash, yourself	G3538 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
2 Samuel 12:20
Then David got up from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his…
leads to
- 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.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Job 1:20
  Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
Through
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.
leads to
- 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…
- Ecclesiastes 9:8
  Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Ecclesiastes 9:8
Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
leads to
- Revelation 19:14
  The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.
- Revelation 3:4–5
  But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.
- Revelation 7:13–14
  Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”
- Revelation 19:8
  She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.