And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
And stood at his feet behind him weeping - the posture at meals being a reclining one, with the feet out behind,
And began-or proceeded to wash his feet with tears. The word here translated "wash" х brechein (G1026)] signifies to 'bathe' or 'bedew.'
And did wipe them with the hairs of her head - the long tresses of that hair on which before she had bestowed too much attention. Had she come for such a purpose, she had not been at a loss for a towel. But tears do not come at will, especially in such plenty. No they were quite involuntary, pouring down in a flood upon His naked feet, as she bent down to kiss them; and deeming them rather fouled than washed by this, she hastened to wipe them off with the only towel she had, the long tresses of her own hair, with which, as Stier observes, slaves were wont to wash their master's feet.
And kissed his feet, х katefilei (G2705)]. The word signifies to 'caress,' or 'kiss tenderly and repeatedly'-which Luke 7:45 shows to be the mashing here. What prompted all this? He who knew her heart tells us it was much love, springing from a sense of much forgiveness. Where she had met with Christ before, or what words of His had brought life to her dead heart and a sense of divine pardon to her guilty soul, we know not. But probably she was of the crowd of "publicans and sinners" whom incarnate Compassion drew so often around Him, and heard from His lips some of those words such as never man spake, "Come unto me, all ye that labour," etc. No personal interview had up to this time taken place between them; but she could keep her feelings no longer to herself, and having found her way to Him (and entered along with him, Luke 7:45), they burst forth in this surpassing, yet most artless style, as if her whole soul would go out to Him.