John 11:2

11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil ¹  and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ² 

John 11:28

11:28 And when she had said this, Martha ³  went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, ⁴  “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” ⁵ 

John 11:32

11:32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Matthew 26:6-13

Jesus’ Anointing

26:6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 26:7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar ⁶  of expensive perfumed oil, ⁷  and she poured it on his head as he was at the table. ⁸  26:8 When ⁹  the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste? 26:9 It ¹⁰  could have been sold at a high price and the money ¹¹  given to the poor!” 26:10 When ¹²  Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She ¹³  has done a good service for me. 26:11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me! ¹⁴  26:12 When ¹⁵  she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 26:13 I tell you the truth, ¹⁶  wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Mark 14:3-9

Jesus’ Anointing

14:3 Now ¹⁷  while Jesus ¹⁸  was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, ¹⁹  a woman came with an alabaster jar ²⁰  of costly aromatic oil ²¹  from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head. 14:4 But some who were present indignantly said to one another, “Why this waste of expensive ²²  ointment? 14:5 It ²³  could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins ²⁴  and the money ²⁵  given to the poor!” So ²⁶  they spoke angrily to her. 14:6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a good service for me. 14:7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me! ²⁷  14:8 She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. 14:9 I tell you the truth, ²⁸  wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Luke 10:38-39

Jesus and Martha

10:38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus ²⁹  entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. ³⁰  10:39 She ³¹  had a sister named Mary, who sat ³²  at the Lord’s feet ³³  and listened to what he said.

[11:2]  ¹ tn Or “perfume,” “ointment.”

[11:2]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It is a bit surprising that the author here identifies Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, since this event is not mentioned until later, in 12:3. Many see this “proleptic” reference as an indication that the author expected his readers to be familiar with the story already, and go on to assume that in general the author in writing the Fourth Gospel assumed his readers were familiar with the other three gospels. Whether the author assumed actual familiarity with the synoptic gospels or not, it is probable that he did assume some familiarity with Mary’s anointing activity.

[11:28]  ³ tn Grk “she”; the referent (Martha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:28]  ⁴ tn Or “in secret” (as opposed to publicly, so that the other mourners did not hear).

[11:28]  ⁵ tn Grk “is calling you.”

[26:7]  ⁶ sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

[26:7]  ⁷ tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205).

[26:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “as he was reclining at table.”

[26:8]  ⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:9]  ¹⁰ tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[26:9]  ¹¹ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).

[26:10]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:10]  ¹³ tn Grk “For she.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[26:11]  ¹⁴ tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.

[26:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[26:13]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[14:3]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[14:3]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ¹⁹ sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[14:3]  ²⁰ sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

[14:3]  ²¹ tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikh") is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.

[14:4]  ²² tn The word “expensive” is not in the Greek text but has been included to suggest a connection to the lengthy phrase “costly aromatic oil from pure nard” occurring earlier in v. 3. The author of Mark shortened this long phrase to just one word in Greek when repeated here, and the phrase “expensive ointment” used in the translation is intended as an abbreviated paraphrase.

[14:5]  ²³ tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[14:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “three hundred denarii.” One denarius was the standard day’s wage, so the value exceeded what a laborer could earn in a year (taking in to account Sabbaths and feast days when no work was done).

[14:5]  ²⁵ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).

[14:5]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[14:7]  ²⁷ tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.

[14:9]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:38]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:38]  ³⁰ tc Most mss have “into the house” (Ì^3vid א C L Ξ 33 579 pc) or “into her house” (א¹ A C² D W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 Ï lat) at the end of the sentence. But the English translation masks the multitude of variants: Different forms of “house” (οἰκίαν [oikian], οἶκον [oikon]) and “her” occur (see TCGNT 129). These variations argue against authenticity; they no doubt arose because of the abrupt ending of the sentence (the Greek is more literally translated simply as “Martha received him”), prompting copyists to add the location. The shorter reading is found in Ì^45,75 B sa.

[10:39]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:39]  ³² tn This reflexive makes it clear that Mary took the initiative in sitting by Jesus.

[10:39]  ³³ sn The description of Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to him makes her sound like a disciple (compare Luke 8:35).