Mark 12:42

12:42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, ¹  worth less than a penny.

Mark 12:40

12:40 They ²  devour widows’ property, ³  and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”

Mark 12:43

12:43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, ⁴  this poor widow has put more into the offering box ⁵  than all the others. ⁶ 

[12:42]  ¹ sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.

[12:40]  ² tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 38.

[12:40]  ³ tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).

[12:43]  ³ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[12:43]  ⁴ tn See the note on the term “offering box” in v. 41.

[12:43]  ⁵ sn Has put more into the offering box than all the others. With God, giving is weighed evaluatively, not counted. The widow was praised because she gave sincerely and at some considerable cost to herself.