Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
Ver. 8. Let thy garments be always white; ] i.e., Neat, spruce, cleanly, comely. Or by a metaphor it may signify, Be merry in good manner, for they used to wear white clothing on festivals and at weddings, as Philo a witnesseth. At this day also the Jews come to their synagogues in white raiment the day before the calends of September, which is their New Year's tide. b Purple was affected by the Romans, white by the Jews. see Jam 2:2 Hence Pilate clad Christ in purple, Mat 27:28 Herod in white. Luk 23:11 Herod himself was "arrayed in royal apparel"; Act 12:21 that is, in cloth of silver, saith Josephus, which, being beaten upon by the sunbeams, dazzled the people's eyes, and drew from them that blasphemous acclamation, "The voice of God, and not of man."
And let thine head lack no ointment.] That thou mayest look smooth and handsome. Mat 6:16-17 Ointments were much used with those eastern people in banquetings, bathings, and at other times. Luk 7:46 Mat 26:7 By "garments" here some understand the affections, as Col 3:8-12 which must "always be white," i.e., cheerful, even in times of persecution, when thy garments haply are stained with thine own blood. By the "head" they understand the thoughts, which must also be kept lithe and lightsome, as anointed with the oil of gladness. Crucem multi abominantur, crucem videntes, sed non videntes unctionem: crux enim inuncta est, saith Bernard. Many men hate the cross because they see the cross only, but see not the ointment that is upon it, for the cross is anointed, and by the grace of God's Holy Spirit helping our infirmities, it becomes not only light, but sweet - not only not troublesome, but even desirable and delectable. Martyr etiam in catena gaudet. c Paul gloried in his sufferings. His spirit was cheered up by the thoughts of them as by some fragrant ointment.
a De vita Theoretica.
b Stuckius in Antiq. Conviv.
c Augustine.