Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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 odor of the ointment.
3. took Mary a pound ] S. John alone gives her name and the amount of ointment. The pound of 12 ounces is meant. So large a quantity of a substance so costly is evidence of her over-flowing love. Comp. Joh 19:39.
ointment of spikenard ] The Greek expression is a rare one, and occurs elsewhere only Mar 14:3, which S. John very likely had seen: his account has all the independence of that of an eye-witness, but may have been influenced by the Synoptic narratives. The meaning of the Greek is not certain: it may mean (1) ‘genuine nard,’ and spikenard was often adulterated; or (2) ‘drinkable, liquid nard,’ and unguents were sometimes drunk; or (3) ‘Pistic nard,’ ‘Pistic’ being supposed to be a local adjective. But no place from which such an adjective could come appears to be known. Of the other two explanations the first is to be preferred.
very costly ] Horace offers to give a cask of wine for a very small box of it; ‘Nardi parvus onyx eliciet cadum.’ Odes iv. xii. 17.
anointed the feet ] The two Synoptists mention only the usual (Psa 23:5) anointing of the head; S. John records the less usual act, which again is evidence of Mary’s devotion. The rest of this verse is peculiar to S. John, and shews that he was present.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment] See Clarke on Mt 26:7; see also Clarke “Mr 14:3“. It does not seem the most likely that this was the same transaction with that mentioned above. Some think that this was, notwithstanding that before is said to have been at the house of Simon the leper. The arguments, pro and con, are largely stated in the notes at the end of Mt. 26, See Clarke on Mt 26:75. to which I beg leave to refer the reader.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Both Matthew and Mark relate this story with some different circumstances: see the notes upon those two places, where all the differing circumstances are considered and explained, and the parts of this history are more largely explained.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. spikenardor pure nard,a celebrated aromatic (So 1:12).
anointed the feet ofJesusand “poured it on His head” (Mat 26:7;Mar 14:3). The only use of thiswas to refresh and exhilaratea grateful compliment in the East,amidst the closeness of a heated atmosphere, with many guests at afeast. Such was the form in which Mary’s love to Christ, at so muchcost to herself, poured itself out.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard very costly,…. Worth three hundred pence, according to Judas’s estimation of it. This Mary was the other sister of Lazarus; [See comments on Mt 26:7],
[See comments on Mr 14:3], concerning the nature and value of this ointment:
and anointed the feet of Jesus; as he lay upon the bed or couch, at supper:
and wiped his feet with her hair; [See comments on Lu 7:38].
And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment; see So 1:3; ointment of spikenard was very odoriferous: this may be an emblem of the sweet savour of Christ, in the ministration of the Gospel, throughout the whole world.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A pound (). Latin libra, late Koine (Polybius, Plutarch) word with weight of 12 ounces, in N.T. only here and 19:39. Mark (Mr 14:3) and Matthew (Mt 26:7) have alabaster cruse.
Of ointment of spikenard ( ). “Of oil of nard.” See already 11:2 for (also Mt 26:7). Nard is the head or spike of an East Indian plant, very fragrant. Occurs also in Mr 14:3. here and in Mr 14:3 probably means genuine (, from , reliable). Only two instances in the N.T.
Very precious (). Old compound adjective (, much, ), in N.T. only here, Matt 13:46; 1Pet 1:7. Mark has (very costly). Matthew (Mt 26:7) has here of weighty value (only N.T. instance).
Anointed (). First aorist active indicative of , old word (Mr 16:1).
The feet ( ). Mark (Mr 14:3) and Matthew (Mt 26:7) have “his head.” Why not both, though neither Gospel mentions both? The Latin MS. fuldensis and the Syriac Sinatic do give both head and feet here.
Wiped (). First aorist active indicative of , old verb to wipe off already in John 11:2; Luke 7:38; Luke 7:44.
With her hair ( ). Instrumental plural. It is this item that is relied on largely by those who identify Mary of Bethany with the sinful woman in Luke 7 and with Mary Magdalene. It is no doubt true that it was usually considered immodest for a woman to wear her hair loose. But it is not impossible that Mary of Bethany in her carefully planned love-offering for Jesus on this occasion was only glad to throw such a punctilio to the winds. Such an act on this occasion does not brand her a woman of loose character.
Was filled with the odour of the ointment ( ). Effective first aorist passive of and a natural result.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
A pound [] . Only here and Joh 19:39. Matthew and Mark, ajlabastron, a flask.
Of spikenard [ ] . So Mark. See on Mr 14:3.
Very precious [] . Literally, of much value. Matthew has barutimou, of weighty value.
Anointed. See on 11 2.
Feet. The Synoptists mention only the pouring on the head.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1 ) “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard,” (he oun Mariam labousa litran murou nardou) “Then Mary took a pound of spikenard ointment;- Only John names Mary as the one who did the anointing of our Lord, as also recounted, Mat 26:6-13; Mar 14:3.
2) “Very costly,” (pistekes polutimou) “Of pure spikenard and costly, expensive, or valuable,” of high quality ointment, or very precious, Mat 26:7.
3) “And anointed the feet of Jesus,” (eleipsen tous podas tou lesous) “Anointed the feet of Jesus;- There is no contradiction between John’s account and that of Matthew and Mark who state that she poured it on Jesus’ head; While Jesus Himself said “she poured it on my body;- This indicates that poured on the head it ran down upon His body, to His feet, Mat 26:12; Mar 14:8; as also described Psa 133:2.
4) “And wiped his feet with her hair:” (kai eksemaksen tais thriksin autes tous podas auton) And with her hair she wiped off his feet,” as her final act of anointing His body, before His burial, a memorial tribute to the faith of this Godly woman, an act commended of the Lord, Mat 26:13.
5) “And the house was filled,” (he do oikia eplerothe) “Then the house or residence was filled,” caused to be filled, or had spread in the air, through all the house.
6) “With the odour of the ointment.” (ek tes osmes tou murou) “Out of, from, or with the odour or fragrance of the ointment;- Yet the fragrance of her deed spreads over the earth, wherever this Gospel story is told, as a memorial to her and her faith in the burial and triumphant hope of the resurrection of her Lord, Mar 14:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
3. And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. It was not a simple liquor extracted from spikenard, but a compound of many odoriferous substances; and therefore it is not wonderful that the whole house was filled with the odor
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard.Here, again, St. John alone gives the name of her whom St. Matthew and St. Mark call a woman, and here, too, she is true to the earlier character as we have it drawn in St. Luke (Luk. 10:40; Luk. 10:42). From this passage also we know that it was a pound of ointment which she took. The other accounts tell us that it was an alabaster box. This pound was the Greek litra, the Latin libra, the pound of twelve ounces.
For the ointment of spikenard, see Mar. 14:3. It may perhaps mean Nard Pistik, or Pistik ointment, the word Pistik being a local name. The fact that this peculiar word occurs only in these two passages points to this as the probable explanation.
And anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.St. Matthew and St. Mark both state that she anointed His head. This was the usual custom (comp. Note on Luk. 7:46, and Psa. 23:5); but St. John remembers that the act of love went beyond that of common esteem, in the depth of its gratitude and reverence, and anointed the feet, and wiped them with her own hair.
And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.The ointment was imported from the East in sealed flasks, which were broken when it was used. The strong perfume then escaped, and spread through the house (Mar. 14:3).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘Mary therefore took a pound of very costly fragrant oil of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the aromatic oil.’
The fragrant oil was nard or spikenard, an import from North India which came from the roots (i.e. spikes, therefore “spikenard”) of the nard plant. It was pure oil and therefore of a high quality as well as imported and consequently very expensive. Matthew and Mark point out that the liquid was in an alabaster flask, the neck of which Mary broke to pour it out on Jesus (Mat 26:7; Mar 14:2). Many such alabaster flasks for oils have been discovered in Palestine.
Mary then poured the oil lavishly on His feet and presumably rubbed it in, removing the excess with her hair. All this was expressive of her great love for Him, especially the removal with her hair. She, as it were, wanted a part of Him. Reaching His feet would be simple because Jesus would be reclining at table with His feet stretched backwards.
Mark tells us that she also broke the jar and poured it over His head (Mar 14:3). Clearly she first anointed his feet and then finally broke the jar and poured what was left over His head. Mark was struck by the anointing of the head for it symbolised Jesus as the Messiah, while John, more struck by the humility and loving ministration of Mary, stressed the anointing of the feet, which paralleled the later washing of the feet of the disciples by Jesus (John 13). Each wanted to bring out their own lesson. These were acts of pure love. Mary was ever the impractical one, but she was the one who gave of herself in deeply emotional response. Martha mainly gave of herself in service (compare Luk 10:38-42). Both are necessary in the service of Christ. Without Martha the work would not go on. Without Mary it would lose something of its spiritual nature.
It was customary when a guest was received into the house that his feet should be washed, often by a servant. This had no doubt already happened. But Mary was so filled with love for Jesus that she determined to go one better. She came to cover His feet with precious fragrant oil, and, having lavished on too much, wiped it off with the hair of her head. Then, no doubt overflowing with spiritual love, and determined to lose none of the perfume, she broke the jar and poured the remnants over His head. The oil was very expensive and the amount she had was large, but she held nothing back from her Lord, so much so that the whole place was filled with the fragrance of the aromatic oil (the words of an eyewitness). The picture is of one whole, extravagant act of love.
The incident remarkably brings out the accuracy of the Gospels. This was no fiction. Mary and Martha are always seen to be consistent with their respective characters, and the combination of anointing of feet and head, which we only know of by combining both Gospel accounts, was far more like the tender Mary than just a symbolic anointing of the head.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joh 12:3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment This supper is supposed by many to have been the same with that mentioned Mat 26:6 and Mar 14:3 but upon examination, they will appear to have been different. This happened in the house of Lazarus, that in the house of Simon the leper: at this, Mary the sister of Lazarus anointed our Lord’s feet, and wiped them with her hair; at that, a woman, not named, poured the ointment on his head. Here Judas only found fault with the action; there he was seconded by some of the rest. It seems, all the disciples but Judas suffered this first anointing to pass without censure; but when theysaw so expensive a compliment repeated, and that within a few days the one of the other, they joined with him in blaming the woman, and might think themselves warranted to do so, as they knew that their Master was not delighted with luxuries ofany kind. After the anointing mentioned by St. Matthew, Judas went and bargained with the priests to deliver his Master into their hands; yet two days before the passover they consulted among themselves how theymight take him by subtlety. This deliberation was absolutelyunnecessary, if the anointing mentioned by St. Matthew had been the same with that in St. John; for the anointing being expressly fixed by St. John to the sixth day before the passover, the bargain which Judas struck with the priests to betray his Master, is of course fixed to the same day, having happened immediately after the anointing: if so, the priests, six days before the passover, knew of a method to take Jesus by subtlety, and therefore had no occasion formally to consult about it two days before the passover. In fine, the place in the history which St. Matthew has assigned to his anointing, implies that it happened two days before the passover; whereas the anointing mentioned by St. John is expressly said to have been six days before that feast. Compare Matthew 26 l-4 and 14. Thus it evidently appears, that our Lord was anointed with spikenard three different times during the course of his ministry; once in the house of Simon the Pharisee, once in the house of Lazarus, and once in the house of Simon the leper. That this mark of respect should have been shewn him so often, need not be thought strange; for in those countries it was common, at entertainments, to pour fragrant oils on the heads of such guests as they designed to distinguish with marks of extraordinary respect. The custom is alluded to Psa 45:7. God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Where this piece of civility was shewn, it was an expression of the highest complacency, and generally produced great gladness in the person who was the object of it. Hence, besides the emblematical reason of the ceremony, it was fitly made use of at the instalment of persons into high offices: and therefore, because the only-begotten Son of God was to sustain greater dignities, and execute more important offices than ever were sustained or executed among men, and was fitted for them by more extraordinary endowments than men possessed, having the Spirit given him without measure; he had the name of the Messiah, or the anointed one, appropriated to him by way of eminence; he was anointed with the oil of gladness, infinitely above his fellows,the other kings, and priests, and prophets, whom God from time to time had raised up and honoured with the title of his anointed ones.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joh 12:3-4 . To explain the great quantity of the ointment (12 ounces) as the outcome of the superabundance of her love (Olshausen), is arbitrary. Mary did not anoint with the whole pound, but with a portion of it (comp. on Joh 12:7 ). On , [104] genuine, unadulterated , see on Mar 14:3 .
] belongs to , as ., Mar 14:3 .
] repeated, on account of the correlation with , in order to make prominent the greatness of the love; with her hairs , His feet .
] causal . Comp. Mat 23:25 ; Rev 8:5 ; Plat. Phaedr . p. 235 C; Dem . 581. 26, et al .
. . .] the rest did not agree with him; but it was Judas , etc.
, . . .] This utterance stood in truth already in psychological connection with this destiny; see on Joh 6:71 .
[104] If John adopted this word from Mark, which, considering the rareness of its occurrence, is probable, and may have been done quite involuntarily, this shows no literary dependence, and does not justify the suspicion that he also drew the subject-matter from this source (Hilgenfeld). Should be the adjective of a proper name (Pistic), all objection would disappear of itself. Comp. on Mar 14:3 , note 2. Goth. also has pistikeinis .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
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.
Ver. 3. Of spikenard, very costly ] Herodotus reckons an alabaster box of ointment ( ) among the precious gifts that Cambyses sent for a present to the king of Ethiopia. Mary thinks nothing too good for him, whom her soul loved. She will honour him with the best of her substance; she knew there was nothing lost; but though it took from the heap, yet it increased the heap; as it is said of tithes and offerings, Mal 3:10 . This made David so free and frolic, that he would not servel God of that which cost him nothing; and that he made such plentiful preparation for the temple-work. It is both love and good husbandry to make our service to God costly: his retributions are bountiful. This ointment in the text was a costly confection, like that of the Church, “Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,” &c., Son 4:14 . Now Galen writes that in his time cinnamon was very rare, and hard to be found, except in the storehouses of princes. And Pliny reports that a pound of cinnamon was worth a thousand denarii, that is, 150 crowns of our money. This good woman held, as Tertullian afterwards did, that Pietatis nomine sumptum facere, est lucrum facere, to spend upon pious uses was the way to greatest gain.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
3. ] What weight is imported, is uncertain: hardly (see ch. Joh 19:39 ) so much as a Roman pound. The word, originally Greek, was adopted into the Aramaic, and is found in the Rabbinical writings as equivalent to a mina; see Friedlieb, Archologie der Leidensgeschichte, p. 33.
On . ., see note on Mark.
. . . ] His head , according to Matt. and Mark. See note on Luk 7:38 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 12:3 . The third member of the Bethany family appears also in character, . (Lat. libra), the unit of weight in the Roman empire, slightly over eleven ounces avoirdupois. (from , to trickle, or from , myrrh, the juice of the Arabian myrtle) is any unguent, more costly and luxurious than the ordinary . Cf. Luk 7:46 , and Trench, Synonyms . , “the head or spike of a fragrant East Indian plant belonging to the genus Valeriana , which yields a juice of delicious odour which the ancients used in the preparation of a most precious ointment”. Thayer, is sometimes derived from , and rendered “genuine,” , . Thus Euthymius, , unadulterated and guaranteed pure. But is the common form; cf. , Theopomp. in Com. Frag . Some suppose it indicates the name of the place where the nard was obtained. Thus Augustine: “Quod ait ‘pistici,’ locum aliquem credere debemus, unde hoc erat unguentum pretiosum”. Similarly some modern scholars derive it from Opis (sc. Opistike), a Babylonian town. In the Classical Review (July, 1890) Mr. Bennett suggests that it should be written , and that it refers to the Pistacia Terebinthus , which grows in Cyprus, Chios, and Palestine, and yields a turpentine in such inconsiderable quantities as to be very costly. The word is most fully discussed by Fritzsche on Mar 14:3 , who argues at great length and with much learning for the meaning “drinkable”. He quotes Athenaeus in proof that some ointments were drunk, mixed with wine. is the word commonly used for “potable,” as in Aesch., Prom. Vinct. , 480, where Prometheus says man had no defence against disease , , . And Fritzsche holds that while means “qui bibi potest,” means “qui facile bibi potest”. The weight and nature of the ointment are specified to give force to the added ; see Joh 12:5 . , Mt. and Mk. say “the head,” which was the more natural but less significant, and in the circumstances less convenient, mode of disposing of the ointment. , “and wiped High feet with her hair”. Holtzmann thinks this an infelicitous combination of Mar 14:3 and Luk 7:38 ; infelicitous because the anointing of the feet which was appropriate in the humbled penitent was not so in Mary’s case; and the drying with her hair which was suitable where tears had fallen was unsuitable where anointing had taken place, for the unguent should have been allowed to remain. This, however, is infelicitous criticism. In Aristoph., Wasps , 607, the daughter anoints her father’s feet: ; and if, as Fritzsche supposes, the ointment was liquid, there is nothing inappropriate but the reverse in the wiping with the hair. , at once attracting attention and betraying the costliness of the offering.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mary. See App-100.
pound. Greek. litra Latin. libra = about 12 oz. App-51. Occurs only here and Joh 19:39.
ointment. Greek. muron. Aromatic balSamaritan Pentateuch
spikenard. See note on Mar 14:3.
anointed. Three anointings are recorded in the Gospels. The first, probably in Capernaum in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luk 7:36-60): a woman anointed His feet. The one here was the second, and again His feet were anointed. At the third, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman (unnamed) anointed His head. For the last two see App-156 and App-168.
with = out of, or from. Greek. ek. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
3. ] What weight is imported, is uncertain: hardly (see ch. Joh 19:39) so much as a Roman pound. The word, originally Greek, was adopted into the Aramaic, and is found in the Rabbinical writings as equivalent to a mina; see Friedlieb, Archologie der Leidensgeschichte, p. 33.
On . ., see note on Mark.
. . .] His head, according to Matt. and Mark. See note on Luk 7:38.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 12:3. , owing to [with] the odour) It was at this very odour that Judas took offence.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 12:3
Joh 12:3
Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious,-The ointment was pure, costly, and of exquisite odor. [It was the most expensive anointing oil of that date.]
and anointed the feet of Jesus,-Mat 26:7 and Mar 14:3 say that it was poured upon his head. Both head and feet and the exposed parts of the body were all anointed. To anoint him for his burial would suggest this.
and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.-John who alone tells who did the anointing says that the loving humility of Mary led her to anoint the feet and to wipe them with the hair of her head.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Mary As Martha stands for service, and Lazarus for communion, so Mary shows us the worship of a grateful heart. Others before her had come to his feet to have their need met; she came to give Him His due. Though two of the evangelists record her act, John alone gives her name.
feet of (See Scofield “Mat 26:7”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
took: Joh 11:2, Joh 11:28, Joh 11:32, Mat 26:6, Mat 26:7-13, Mar 14:3-9, Luk 10:38, Luk 10:39
ointment: Psa 132:2, Son 1:12, Son 4:10, Son 4:13, Son 4:14
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: Mar 14:3, Luk 7:37, Luk 7:38, Luk 7:46
filled: Son 1:3
Reciprocal: Exo 30:35 – perfume Psa 133:2 – It is like Pro 27:9 – Ointment Pro 27:16 – the ointment Amo 6:6 – chief Mat 28:9 – and held Phi 4:18 – an Rev 18:13 – cinnamon
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
AN OFFERING OF LOVE
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.
Joh 12:3
What Mary brought was not a poets song, or a conquerors crown, or some great achievement of genius, but an offering of love, and the fragrance of it has floated down the ages as Christ said it should, for it is one of the most lovely deeds that have been recorded in the pages of history. We are only told three things about Mary, the sister of Martha.
I. She sat at Jesuss feet and heard His Word.
II. She arose quickly and came unto Him.
III. She did what she could in bringing the best she had.
Here were faith, obedience, and good works. The other Gospels omit her name, perhaps out of regard for her safety, because they were written earlier (Mat 26:7; Mar 14:3).
Rev. F. Harper.
Illustration
When the dying Nelson lying in the cockpit of the Victory turned his dimmed eyes to his old comrade and said, Kiss me, Hardy, he was expressing a primal need, a hunger for love. The heart of man longs and pants and faints for love. Sometimes our feelings are too deep for words. Does not the pressed hand in the hour of sorrow speak plainer than a thousand words? Marys emotion was too deep for language, so she took the box and poured it out to tell how much she loved.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
3
This anointing should not be confused with the one in Luk 7:37-50. That was done by a woman from the outcast ranks and was known as a “sinner,” but the present case was by the sister of Lazarus, who was one of the personal friends of Jesus.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
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.
[Then Mary, etc.] in that contest, whether Mary the sister of Lazarus was the same with Mary Magdalene, this passage will help a little towards the affirmative, that there was a town called Magdala very near Jerusalem.
“A clerk or scribe at Magdala set his candles in order every evening of the sabbath, went up to Jerusalem, prayed there, returned and lighted up his candles when the sabbath was now coming in.”
It seems plain by this, that Magdala and Jerusalem were not very far distant from one another, when all this was done so quickly, and in so short a space of time. Only we may learn this from the Gloss, that that Magdala was Magdala Zebaim; concerning which that sad and direful passage is related, that “it was destroyed for its adulteries.”
“There were three cities whose customs were carried to Jerusalem”: Gloss: “In wagons, because of their great weight. The names of these three cities were Cabul, Sichin, and Magdala. Why was Cabul destroyed? Because of their discords. Why was Sichin destroyed? Because of the magic arts they used. And why was Magdala destroyed? Because of their whoredoms.” The Hierosol. say it was Magdala Zabaaia. To this place it was that R. Jonathan once betook himself for some cure to his baldness.
Now therefore what should hinder but that Mary the sister of Lazarus of Bethany might be called Magdalene, both for the nearness of the town, where perhaps she was married, and also for the lascivious manners of the townsfolks, with which spot it is commonly believed Mary Magdalene had been tainted?
[Anointed the feet of Jesus.] In this passage there were two things very unusual:
I. It was indeed a very common thing to anoint the feet with oil; but to do it with aromatical ointment, this was more rarely done. And it is charged by the Gemarists as a great crime, that the Jerusalem women of old anointed their shoes with perfumed ointment, to entice the young men to wantonness.
“Make a tinkling with their feet; Isa 3:16. R. Isaac saith, that by this is intimated that they put myrrh and balsam in their shoes; and when they met the young men of Israel, they kicked with their feet, and so stirred up in them evil and loose affections.”
II. It was accounted an immodest thing for women to dishevel and unloose their hair publicly: The priest unlooseth the hairs of the women suspected of adultery, when she was to be tried by the bitter water, which was done for greater disgrace.
“Kamitha had seven sons, who all performed the office of high priest: they ask of he how she came to this honour? She answered, ‘The rafters of my house never saw the hairs of my head.’ ”
[And wiped them with her hair.] Did she not wash his feet before she anointed them? I do not ask whether she did not wash them with her tears; as before, Luke 7: for as to that, the evangelist is silent; but did she not wash his feet at all? I ask this, because the custom of the country seems to persuade she should do so.
“The maid brought him a little vessel of warm water; with which he washed his hands and his feet: then she brought a golden vessel of oil, in which he dipped his hands and his feet.” There was first washing, then anointing.
Either therefore this word she wiped must relate to some previous washing of his feet: or if it ought to refer to the ointment, it scarcely would suppose wiping off the ointment now laid on; but rather, that with the hairs of her head she rubbed and chafed it. Which brings to mind that passage, “If a woman in labour should have need of oil [on the sabbath day], let her neighbour bring it her in the hollow of her hand; but if that should not be sufficient, let her bring it in the hairs of her head.” The Gloss is, “Let her dip her own hair in oil, and when she comes to the woman in travail, let her rub it upon her, and by that action she doth not break the sabbath.”
[And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.] “A good name is better than precious ointment. Good ointment [by its smell] passeth out of the bed into the dining room; but a good name, from one end of the world unto the other.”
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Joh 12:3. Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very precious. By ointment we are to understand rather a liquid perfume than what we commonly know as ointment. The precise description of ointment or perfume that is here indicated is a question that has been much controverted. The words, which literally mean ointment of nard pistic, are the same as those employed by Mark (chap. Mar 14:3): in each place our English Version has spikenard, a word suggested by the rendering of the Vulgate in Mark (nardus spicatus), and used by our translators in three passages of the Old Testament (Son 1:12-14). In the passages last named the word that stands in the Hebrew text is nerd, evidently identical with the nardos used here by John: the word is said to be really of Persian origin, denoting a perfume brought from India by Persian traders. It will be seen that our translation has practically passed over the epithet pistic, as to the meaning of which there exists the greatest uncertainty. By some it is explained as potable (the fine nard-oil being sometimes drunk); others refer the word to a root meaning to press or pound (the oil being obtained by pressure); whilst others maintain that the word is not descriptive of any species of nard, but denotes its genuineness. The most probable opinion is that pistic is a geographical term which was at the time familiarly associated with the name of the perfume as an article of commerce, though now the exact significance is lost. From the parallel narratives (Mat 26:7; Mar 14:3) we learn that, as a fluid, it was kept in a flask (for this is the truer rendering of the Greek word translated alabaster box) hermetically sealed; and the contents would be extracted by breaking off the neck. As the ointment was a fluid, and the neck of the flask was broken off, we seem entitled to infer that the whole was used. The quantity which Mary had bought was very large, for the pound here spoken of was equivalent to about 12 ounces avoirdupois. Its preciousness is best illustrated by a later verse (Joh 12:5), where we find 300 denarii (in Mar 14:5, more than 300 denarii) mentioned as its probable value. If we take the denarius at 8 1/2d., the value ordinarily assigned, this sum amounts to 10, 12s. 6d. The truer principle of calculation, however, is that the sum be estimated according to the power of purchase which it represents; and it would be easy to show that 300 denarii would ordinarily purchase a larger quantity of wheat (for example) than could now be obtained for 20 of our money.
And anointed the feet of Jesus, and she wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. With this precious perfume, then, Mary anointed the feet of her Lord. The other Evangelists speak of the head not the feet, and of the ointment as poured down over the head. There is of course no discrepancy between the accounts. Both feet and head were anointed: John speaks of the former because the words which he is about to add refer to the feet alone; and though the other narratives mention no more than the anointing of the head, yet the words of Jesus related by both Evangelists speak of the ointment as poured upon His body, and as designed to prepare Him for His burial. Perhaps, in a writer like John, who seizes so powerfully the symbolism (the real symbolism, not a possible subjective application) of the various events in his Masters life, we ought also to connect this anointing of the feet of Jesus (twice mentioned, here and in chap. Joh 11:2) with His washing of the disciples feet to be related in the chapter which follows. Over against cleansing of their feet soiled by the days travel is set the honour due to the very feet of Him to whom contact with earthly life brought not even a transient stain. Be this as it may, Marys action as here described, her use of the most precious ointment, whose odour filled the whole house (a fact which is far more than a mere historical reminiscence), and the devotion of that which is a womans chief ornament to the purpose of wiping the feet which she had anointed, picture to us most impressively her gratitude and humble reverence.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Joh 12:3-8. Then took Mary a pound of ointment, &c. See notes on Mat 26:6-13; Mar 14:1-9. She did what is here related in token of the warm sense she had of the many favours Christ had conferred on her and her relations, but especially for the wonderful kindness he had lately shown to her brother Lazarus. Then saith Judas, Why was not this ointment sold, &c. Judas was angry because his Master had not taken the ointment with a view to sell it, pretending that the price received for it might have been bestowed on the poor. Nevertheless, his real motive was covetousness; for as he carried the bag, he thought if his Master had sold the ointment, he would have gotten the money to keep, and so might have applied part of it to his own private use. But it is no new thing for the basest men to cover their blackest crimes with the fair pretence of zeal for the honour of God and the interests of religion. For three hundred pence These were Roman pence, and consequently amounted to nine pounds seven shillings and sixpence. The expression only intimates a general guess at the value by a round sum, as we speak, for such three hundred denarii were, though the correspondent value with us is not so. Against the day of my burying, which now draws nigh, hath she kept this Mr. Whiston thinks this is as if our Lord had said, She has spent but a little of this ointment, but has reserved the main part of it to pour on my head some days hence, which shall be so near my death, that it may be considered as a kind of embalming. But it is unnatural to suppose that, in the transport of her love and gratitude, she would use this little management of keeping back most that was in the vessel; or that, if she had, John would have mentioned the quantity she took, which was no way to his purpose, or have taken notice of the room being filled with the odour of it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Mary anointed Jesus with a litre of ointment. The Greek litre equaled about 11 ounces and was a lavish amount to pour out on someone. Its quantity indicates Mary’s great love and high regard for Jesus. The ointment was nard or spikenard, an Indian oil that came from the roots (i.e., spikes, therefore "spikenard") of the nard plant. [Note: Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, s.v. "Spikenard," by W. E. Shewell-Cooper, 5:502.] It was pure ointment and therefore of a high quality as well as imported and consequently very expensive (cf. Joh 12:5). Matthew and Mark noted that the liquid was in an alabaster flask the neck of which Mary broke to pour it out on Jesus (Mat 26:7; Mar 14:3).
John wrote that Mary proceeded to anoint Jesus’ feet with the ointment. The Synoptic accounts say that she anointed His head (Mat 26:7; Mar 14:3). Probably she did both. There was enough ointment to anoint not only Jesus’ head and feet but also other parts of His body as well (cf. Mat 26:12; Mar 14:8). Perhaps Matthew and Mark mentioned Jesus’ head to present this act as one that honored Jesus. John could have mentioned Jesus’ feet to stress Mary’s humility in contrast to the Sanhedrin’s pride and the disciples’ pride (cf. Joh 13:1-17). [Note: Carson, The Gospel . . ., pp. 427, 428.]
Only John noted that Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, another act of humility. Normally Jewish women never unbound their hair in public since loose hair was a sign of loose morals. Evidently Mary’s love for Jesus overrode her sense of propriety. She probably wiped the ointment in and the excess off with her hair. It would have been easy for Mary to anoint Jesus’ feet. The guests undoubtedly reclined on mats on the floor with their heads and hands close to the table and their feet extending out in the opposite direction.
The fact that the fragrance of the perfume filled the house shows again how lavish Mary’s display of love was. In that culture when the male head of a household died and left only female survivors, the women usually had great difficulty making ends meet and often became destitute. If this was the situation that Lazarus’ death created for Mary and Martha, we can appreciate how grateful they must have been to Jesus for restoring their brother to them. Even if they were rich, and the cost of Mary’s ointment suggests that they may have been, the restoration of a loved brother was reason enough for great gratitude and festivity.