But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
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Interpretation
Religious fasting is a duty required of the disciples of Christ, but it is not so much a duty itself, as a means to dispose us for other duties. Fasting is the humbling of the soul, Ps 35:13 ; that is the inside of the duty; let that, therefore, be your principal care, and as to the outside of it, covet not to let it be seen.