KJV: For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
YLT: for she having put this ointment on my body -- for my burial she did it.
Darby: For in pouring out this ointment on my body, she has done it for my burying.
ASV: For in that she poured this ointment upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
βαλοῦσα | In pouring |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: βάλλω Sense: to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls. |
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αὕτη | this [woman] |
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: οὗτος Sense: this. |
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μύρον | fragrant oil |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular Root: μύρον Sense: ointment. |
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τοῦτο | this |
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular Root: οὗτος Sense: this. |
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σώματός | body |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular Root: σῶμα Sense: the body both of men or animals. |
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μου | of Me |
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
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ἐνταφιάσαι | burial |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active Root: ἐνταφιάζω Sense: to prepare a body for burial, by the use of every requisite provision and funeral adornment, that is, baths, vestments, flowers, wreathes, perfumes, libations, etc. |
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με | of Me |
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
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ἐποίησεν | she did [it] |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: ποιέω Sense: to make. |
Greek Commentary for Matthew 26:12
Mary alone had understood what Jesus had repeatedly said about his approaching death. The disciples were so wrapped up in their own notions of a political kingdom that they failed utterly to sympathize with Jesus as he faced the cross. But Mary with the woman‘s fine intuitions did begin to understand and this was her way of expressing her high emotions and loyalty. The word here is the same used in John 19:40 about what Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus did for the body of Jesus before burial with the addition of προς το pros to showing the purpose of Mary (the infinitive of purpose). Mary was vindicated by Jesus and her noble deed has become a “memorial of her” (εις μνημοσυμον αυτης eis mnēmosumon autēs) as well as of Jesus. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 26:12
Literally, “she took beforehand to anoint my body for the burial.” She anticipated the event. This is Christ‘s justification of her noble deed. Matthew 26:12 also speaks of the burial preparation by Mary, using the verb ενταπιασαι entaphiasai f0). [source]
This passage presents great difficulty. According to the reading just given, the meaning is that Mary had kept the ointment, perhaps out of the store provided for Lazarus' burial, against the day of Christ's preparation for the tomb. The word ἐνταφιασμοῦ is wrongly rendered burial. It means the preparation for burial, the laying out, or embalmment. It is explained by John 19:40, as the binding in linen cloths with spices, “as the manner of the Jews is ἐνταφιάζειν toprepare for burial,” not to bury. It is the Latin pollingere, to wash and prepare a corpse for the funeral pile. Hence the name of the servant to whom this duty was committed was pollinctor. He was a slave of the libitinarius, or furnishing undertaker. Mary, then, has kept the ointment in order to embalm Jesus with it on this day, as though He were already dead. This is the sense of the Synoptists. Matthew (Matthew 26:12) says, she did it with reference to my preparation for burial. Mark, she anticipated to anoint. The reading of the Received Text is, however, disputed. The best textual critics agree that the perfect, τετήρηκεν , she hath kept, was substituted for the original reading τηρήσῃ , the aorist, she may keep, or may have kept, by some one who was trying to bring the text into harmony with Mark 14:8; not understanding how she could keep for His burial that which she poured out now. Some, however, urge the exact contrary, namely, that the perfect is the original reading, and that the aorist is a correction by critics who were occupied with the notion that no man is embalmed before his death, or who failed to see how the ointment could have been kept already, as it might naturally be supposed to have been just purchased. (So Godet and Field.)-DIVIDER- According to the corrected reading, ἵνα , in order that, is inserted after ἄφες αὐτὴν , let her alone, or suffer her; τετήρηκεν , hath kept, is changed to τηρήσῃ , may keep, and the whole is rendered, suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying. So Rev. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- But it is difficult to see why Christ should desire to have kept for His embalmment what had already been poured out upon Him. Some, as Meyer, assume that only a part of the ointment was poured out, and refer αὐτό , it, to the part remaining. “Let her alone, that she may not give away to the poor this ointment, of which she has just used a portion for the anointing of my feet, but preserve it for the day of my embalmming.” Canon Westcott inclines to this view of the use of only a part. But the inference from the synoptic narratives can be only that the whole contents of the flask were used, and the mention of the pound by John, and the charge of waste are to the same effect. There is nothing whatever to warrant a contrary supposition. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- Others explain, suffer her to have kept it, or suffer that she may have kept it. So Westcott, who says: “The idiom by which a speaker throws himself into the past, and regards what is done as still a purpose, is common to all languages.”-DIVIDER- Others, again, retain the meaning let her alone, and render ἵνα , in order that, with an ellipsis, thus: “Let her alone: (she hath not sold her treasure) in order that she might keep it,” etc. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- The old rendering, as A.V., is the simplest, and gives a perfectly intelligible and consistent sense. If, however, this must be rejected, it seems, on the whole, best to adopt the marginal reading of the Rev., with the elliptical ἵνα : let her alone: it was that she might keep it. This preserves the prohibitory force of ἄφες αὐτήν , which is implied in Matthew 26:10, and is unquestionable in Mark 14:6. Compare Matthew 15:14; Matthew 19:14; Matthew 27:49. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- Note that the promise of the future repute of this act (Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9) is omitted by the only Evangelist who records Mary's name in connection with it. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- [source]
This reading (ινα hina tērēsēi purpose clause with τηρεω hina and first aorist active subjunctive of τετηρεκεν tēreō) rather than that of the Textus Receptus (just ινα tetēreken perfect active indicative) is correct. It is supported by Aleph B D L W Theta. The απες hina can be rendered as above after ενταπιασμος aphes according to Koiné idiom or more probably: “Let her alone: it was that,” etc. (supplying “it was”). Either makes good sense. The word ενταπιαζω entaphiasmos is a later and rare substantive from the late verb entaphiazō to prepare for burial (Matthew 26:12; John 19:40), and means preparation for burial. In N.T. only here and Mark 14:8. “Preparation for my burial” is the idea here and in Mark. The idea of Jesus is that Mary had saved this money to use in preparing his body for burial. She is giving him the flowers before the funeral. We can hardly take it that Mary did not use all of the ointment for Mark (Mark 14:3) says that she broke it and yet he adds (Mark 14:8) what John has here. It is a paradox, but Jesus is fond of paradoxes. Mary has kept this precious gift by giving it now beforehand as a preparation for my burial. We really keep what we give to Christ. This is Mary‘s glory that she had some glimmering comprehension of Christ‘s death which none of the disciples possessed. [source]
Late diminutive for the old οτονη othonē used for ships‘ sails, in N.T. here and Luke 24:12. Case here either locative or instrumental. With the spices Late word αρωμα arōma for spices, from fumes. To bury Late verb, from ενταπια entaphia (εν ταπος en class="translit"> taphos) the burial preparations of all sorts (flowers, perfumes, etc.), in N.T. only here and Matthew 26:12. [source]