English Standard Version
Mark 14:3
3And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
Mark 14:3 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
Context of Mark 14:3
1It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her.
Read all of Mark 14Mark 14:3 word by word
Καὶ ὄντος αὐτοῦ ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ Σίμωνος τοῦ λεπροῦ, κατακειμένου αὐτοῦ ἦλθεν γυνὴ ἔχουσα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου νάρδου πιστικῆς πολυτελοῦς. συντρίψασα τὴν ἀλάβαστρον κατέχεεν αὐτοῦ τῆς κεφαλῆς.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- beingεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- BethanyΒηθανίαBēthania · BethanyG963
- the houseοἰκίαoikia · homeG3614
- of SimonΣίμωνSimōn · SimonG4613
- the leperλεπρόςlepros · leprousG3015
- as heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- sat at meatκατάκειμαιkatakeimai · to reclineG2621
- there cameἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- a womanγυνήgunē · womanG1135
- havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- an alabaster boxἀλάβαστρονalabastron · jarG211
- of ointmentμύρονmuron · ointmentG3464
- of spikenardνάρδοςnardos · nardG3487
- ·πιστικόςpistikos · pureG4101
- very preciousπολυτελήςpolutelēs · valuableG4185
- she brakeσυντρίβωsuntribō · to breakG4937
- and pouredκαταχέωkatacheō · to pourG2708
- onκατάkata · according toG2596
- headκεφαλήkephalē · headG2776
Cross-references for Mark 14:3
- Matthew 26:6Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
- John 11:2It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
- John 12:1Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
- Luke 7:37And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
Commentaries on Mark 14:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Alabaster box - Among critics and learned men there are various conjectures concerning the alabaster mentioned by the evangelists: some think it means a glass phial; others, that it signifies a small vessel without a handle, from negative and , a handle; and others imagine that it merely signifies a perfume or essence bottle. There are several species of the soft calcareous stone called alabaster, which are enumerated and described in different chemical…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-11Verses 1-11 See this passage explained in the notes at Mark 14:1 And of unleavened bread - So called because at that feast no other bread was used but that which had been made without leaven or yeast. By craft - By subtlety (Matthew); that is, by some secret plan that would secure possession of him without exciting the opposition of the people. Mark 14:3 Ointment - This word does not convey quite the proper meaning. This was a perfume. It was used only to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-9The story of Jesus’s anointing by a woman in Bethany (14:3–9) introduces the events that follow. Luke’s account (Luke 7:36–50) is quite different and may describe another event. This incident took place in Bethany, a village about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) east of Jerusalem on the lower eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus apparently stayed there when he was in Judea (Mark 11:1, 11–12). The house belonged to Simon, a man who had previously had…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman--It was "Mary," as we learn from Joh 12:3. having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard--pure nard, a celebrated aromatic--(See So 1:12). very precious--"very costly" (Joh 12:3). and she brake the box, and poured it on his head--"and anointed," adds John (Joh 12:3), "the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor…Read the comment
Topics related to Mark 14:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Mark 14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries