Mark 14:3
1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.
2 “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head.
4 Some of those present, however, expressed their indignation to one another: “Why this waste of perfume?
5 It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head.
- KJV
- 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.
- WEB
- While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar and poured it over his head.
- ASV
- And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure nard very costly; [and] she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head.
- DARBY
- And when he was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he lay at table, there came a woman having an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly; and having broken the alabaster flask, she poured it out upon his head.
- BLB
- And of Him being in Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper, [at] His having reclined, a woman came, having an alabaster flask of fragrant oil of pure nard of great price. Having broken the alabaster flask, she poured [it] on His head.
- ÅB
- Og mens han var i Betania, i Simon den spedalskes hus, og satt til bords, da kom en kvinne som hadde en alabaster-krukke med ekte kostelig nardussalve, og hun brøt alabaster-krukken i sønder og helte den ut over hans hode.
- OTB
- Mens Jesus var i Betania, til bords i huset til Simon den spedalske, kom en kvinne med en alabastkrukke med meget kostbar salve, laget av ren nardus. Hun brøt krukken og helte salven over hodet hans.
- B1930
- Og mens han var i Betania, i Simon den spedalskes hus, og satt til bords, da kom en kvinne som hadde en alabaster-krukke med ekte kostelig nardussalve, og hun brøt alabaster-krukken i sønder og helte den ut over hans hode.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Luke 7:37–39
When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.
Read in contextJohn 12:1–8
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
Read in contextJohn 11:2
(Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)
Read in contextMatthew 26:6–13
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,
Read in contextSong of Solomon 4:13–14
Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,
Read in context