Mark 1:40

Cleansing a Leper

1:40 Now ¹  a leper ²  came to him and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If ³  you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said.

Mark 14:3

Jesus’ Anointing

14:3 Now ⁴  while Jesus ⁵  was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, ⁶  a woman came with an alabaster jar ⁷  of costly aromatic oil ⁸  from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head.

[1:40]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[1:40]  ² sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what we call leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

[1:40]  ³ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[14:3]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[14:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.