The Meaning of Mark 12:41 Explained

Mark 12:41

KJV: And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

YLT: And Jesus having sat down over-against the treasury, was beholding how the multitude do put brass into the treasury, and many rich were putting in much,

Darby: And Jesus, having sat down opposite the treasury, saw how the crowd was casting money into the treasury; and many rich cast in much.

ASV: And he sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  Jesus  sat  over against  the treasury,  and beheld  how  the people  cast  money  into  the treasury:  and  many  that were rich  cast in  much. 

What does Mark 12:41 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 12:28-44 - The First Commandment
To the young ruler our Lord named one command as great-the love of one's neighbor. Now, in answer to this scribe, he turned with unerring choice, first to Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and then to Leviticus 19:18, for the two pillars on which the collective and individual life of man must rest. The reverent answer of the scribe proves that he was no ordinary questioner; and our Lord acknowledged this when He told him that a few steps more would bring him into the kingdom of God. Our Lord was David's son by human descent, but as Son of God, proceeding from the Father, He is exalted far above David and all mankind.
In terrible words, Mark 12:38-40, Christ denounced the moral and religious leaders of the time. They made a pretense and a gain of their religion. How great the contrast between them and this poor widow, who cast into God's treasury all that she had to provide for her day's living! Our Lord is quick to notice acts like these, which give evidence of the true heart. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 12

1  Jesus tells the parable of the tenants
13  He avoids the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar;
18  convicts the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection;
28  resolves the scribe, who questioned of the first commandment;
35  refutes the opinion that the scribes held of the Christ;
38  bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hypocrisy;
41  and commends the poor widow for her two mites, above all

Greek Commentary for Mark 12:41

Sat down over against the treasury [κατισας κατεναντι του γαζοπυλακιου]
The storm is over. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, scribes, have all slunk away in terror ere the closing words. Mark draws this immortal picture of the weary Christ sitting by the treasury (compound word in the lxx from γαζα — gaza Persian word for treasure, and πυλακη — phulakē guard, so safe for gifts to be deposited). [source]
Beheld [ετεωρει]
Imperfect tense. He was watching how the multitude cast money (πως ο οχλος βαλλει — pōs ho ochlos ballei) into the treasury. The rich were casting in (εβαλλον — eballon imperfect tense) as he watched. [source]
how the multitude cast money [πως ο οχλος βαλλει]
(πως ο οχλος βαλλει — pōs ho ochlos ballei) into the treasury. The rich were casting in (εβαλλον — eballon imperfect tense) as he watched. [source]
The treasury []
In the Court of the Women, which covered a space of two hundred feet square. All round it ran a colonnade, and within it, against the wall, were the thirteen chests or “trumpets” for charitable contributions. These chests were narrow at the mouth and wide at the bottom, shaped like trumpets, whence their name. Their specific objects were carefully marked on them. Nine were for the receipt of what was legally due by worshippers, the other four for strictly voluntary gifts. See Edersheim, “The Temple.” [source]
Beheld [ἐθεώρει]
Observed thoughtfully. [source]
Cast []
Note the graphic present tense: are casting. [source]
Money [χαλκὸν]
Lit., copper, which most of the people gave. [source]
Cast in [ἔβαλλον]
Imperfect tense: were casting in as he looked. [source]
Much [πολλά]
Lit., many things; possibly many pieces of current copper coin. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 12:41

Luke 21:1 Treasury []
See on Mark 12:41. [source]
Luke 21:1 Rich []
Standing last and emphatically in the sentence,” Saw them that were casting, etc. - rich men. ” Not the rich only were casting in. Compare Mark 12:41. [source]
Luke 21:1 And he looked up [Αναβλεπσας δε]
He had taken his seat, after the debate was over and the Sanhedrin had slunk away in sheer defeat, “over against the treasury” (Mark 12:41). The word for “treasury” (γαζοπυλακιον — gazophulakion) is a compound of γαζα — gaza (Persian word for royal treasury) and πυλακη — phulakē guard or protection. It is common in the lxx, but in the N.T. only here and Mark 12:41, Mark 12:43; John 8:20. Jesus was watching (Mark 12:41) the rich put in their gifts as a slight diversion from the intense strain of the hours before. [source]
John 8:20 In the treasury [εν τωι γαζοπυλακιωι]
See note on Mark 12:41 and note on Luke 21:1 for this word for the treasure-chambers of the temple. “It abutted on the Court of the Women, and against its walls were placed chests, trumpet-like in form, as receptacles for the offerings of the worshippers” (Bernard). The Persian word gaza (treasure) occurs only once in the N.T. (Acts 8:27) and the compound And Reason (οτι — hoti) given why no one seized (επιασεν — epiasen cf. John 7:30) him. Εληλυτει — Elēluthei is past perfect active of ερχομαι — erchomai “had not yet come.” This very use of ωρα — hōra appears in John 2:4 and the very clause in John 7:30 which see. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 12:41 mean?

And having sat down opposite the treasury He was watching how the crowd cast money into the treasury many rich were casting [in] much
Καὶ καθίσας κατέναντι τοῦ γαζοφυλακίου ἐθεώρει πῶς ὄχλος βάλλει χαλκὸν εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον πολλοὶ πλούσιοι ἔβαλλον πολλά

καθίσας  having  sat  down 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καθίζω  
Sense: to make to sit down.
κατέναντι  opposite 
Parse: Preposition
Root: κατέναντι  
Sense: over against, opposite before.
γαζοφυλακίου  treasury 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: γαζοφυλάκιον  
Sense: a repository of treasure, especially of public treasure, a treasury.
ἐθεώρει  He  was  watching 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: θεωρέω  
Sense: to be a spectator, look at, behold.
πῶς  how 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πῶς  
Sense: how, in what way.
ὄχλος  crowd 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ὄχλος  
Sense: a crowd.
βάλλει  cast 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: βάλλω 
Sense: to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls.
χαλκὸν  money 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: χαλκός  
Sense: brass.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
γαζοφυλάκιον  treasury 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: γαζοφυλάκιον  
Sense: a repository of treasure, especially of public treasure, a treasury.
πολλοὶ  many 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.
πλούσιοι  rich 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: πλούσιος  
Sense: wealthy, abounding in material resources.
ἔβαλλον  were  casting  [in] 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: βάλλω 
Sense: to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls.
πολλά  much 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.

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