John 12:3
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
John 12:3 in other translations
| BSB | Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. |
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| WEB | Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. |
| ASV | Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. |
| YLT | Mary, therefore, having taken a pound of ointment of spikenard, of great price, anointed the feet of Jesus and did wipe with her hair his feet, and the house was filled from the fragrance of the ointment. |
| DARBY | Mary therefore, having taken a pound of ointment of pure nard of great price, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. |
| BBE | Then Mary, taking a pound of perfumed oil of great value, put it on the feet of Jesus and made them dry with her hair: and the house became full of the smell of the perfume. |
| Webster | Then Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. |
What does John 12:3 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 12:1-8
Joh 12:1-11. The Anointing at Bethany. (See on Mt 26:6-13). 1-8. six days before the passover--that is, on the sixth day before it; probably after sunset on Friday evening, or the commencement of the Jewish sabbath preceding the passover.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 12:1-11
Christ had formerly blamed Martha for being troubled with much serving. But she did not leave off serving, as some, who when found fault with for going too far in one way, peevishly run too far another way; she still served, but within hearing of Christ's gracious words. Mary gave a token of love to Christ, who had given real tokens of his love to her and her family. God's Anointed should be our Anointed. Has God…
John 12:3 in the original Greek
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Cross references for John 12:3
- Mark 14:3-9
And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. …
- John 11:2
(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
- Luke 10:38-39
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
- Luke 7:37-38
And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
- Matthew 26:6-13
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. …
- John 11:32
Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
- John 11:28
And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
- Luke 7:46
My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
- Song of Solomon 4:13-14
Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
- Song of Solomon 1:3
Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
- Song of Solomon 1:12
While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
- Song of Solomon 4:10
How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
11:2,28,32; Mt 26:6,7-13; Mr 14:3-9
Lu 10:38,39
ointment.
Ps 132:2; So 1:12; 4:10,13,14
spikenard.Spikenard is a highly a romatic plant growing in India, whence was made a very valuable unguent or perfume, used at the ancient baths and feasts. It is identified by Sir W. Jones with the {sumbul} of the Persians and Arabs, and {jatamansi} of the Hindoos; and he considers it a species of the valerian, of the triandria monogynia class of plants. The root is from three to twelve inches long, fibrous, sending up above the earth between thirty and forty ears or spikes, from which it has its name; stem, lower part perennial, upper part herbaceous, sub-erect, simple, from six to twelve inches long; leaves entire, smooth, fourfold, the inner radical pair petioled and cordate, the rest sessile and lanceolate; pericarp, a single seed crowned with a pappus.
anointed.
Mr 14:3; Lu 7:37,38,46
filled.
So 1:3
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- John 12:2
There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
- John 12:3
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
- John 12:4
Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
John 12:3 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Entonces María tomó una libra de ungüento de nardo líquido de mucho precio, y ungió los pies de Jesús, y limpió sus pies con sus cabellos: y la casa se llenó del olor del ungüento. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Marie donc, ayant pris une livre de parfum de nard pur de grand prix, oignit les pieds de Jésus et lui essuya les pieds avec ses cheveux; et la maison fut remplie de l’odeur du parfum. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Da nahm Maria ein Pfund Salbe von echter, sehr kostbarer Narde und salbte die Füße Jesu und trocknete seine Füße mit ihren Haaren. Das Haus aber wurde von dem Geruch der Salbe erfüllt. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Maria ergo accepit libram unguenti nardi pistici pretiosi, et unxit pedes Jesu, et extersit pedes ejus capillis suis: et domus impleta est ex odore unguenti. |