Mark 1:30

1:30 Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down, sick with a fever, so ¹  they spoke to Jesus ²  at once about her.

Mark 2:4

2:4 When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof ³  above Jesus. ⁴  Then, ⁵  after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.

Mark 2:15

2:15 As Jesus ⁶  was having a meal ⁷  in Levi’s ⁸  home, many tax collectors ⁹  and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

Mark 14:3

Jesus’ Anointing

14:3 Now ¹⁰  while Jesus ¹¹  was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, ¹²  a woman came with an alabaster jar ¹³  of costly aromatic oil ¹⁴  from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head.

[1:30]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[1:30]  ² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:4]  ³ sn A house in 1st century Palestine would have had a flat roof with stairs or a ladder going up. This access was often from the outside of the house.

[2:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:15]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “As he reclined at table.”

[2:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “his.”

[2:15]  ⁸ sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked.

[14:3]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[14:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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.