Matthew 6:17

But when thou fast, anoint thy head, and wash thy face,

A Conservative Version

In The King James Version

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

In Context

16And when ye fast, become not like the gloomy looking hypocrites, for they make their faces unsightly, so that they may appear fasting to men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

18so that thou may not appear fasting to men, but to thy Father in secret. And thy Father, who sees in secret, will reward thee.

Read all of Matthew 6

Cross References

Ruth 3:3Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor. But do not make thyself known to the man until he shall have done eating and drinking.

2 Samuel 14:2And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched from there a wise woman, and said to her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman who has a lon

Daniel 10:2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.

Matthew Henry on Matthew 6:17-19

The Sermon on the Mount. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. We are here cautioned against hypocrisy in fasting, as before in almsgiving, and in… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Matthew 6:17