Mark 14:8

She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
She	αὐτός autós	G846	the reflexive pronoun self
hath done	ἐποίησεν, epoiēsen	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
what	ὃ ho	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — accusative singular neuter
she could	ἔσχεν eschen	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
she is come aforehand	προέλαβεν proelaben	G4301	to take in advance · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
to	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
anoint	μυρίσαι murisai	G3462	to apply (perfumed) unguent to · verb — aorist active infinitive
my	μοῦ moû	G3450	of me
body	σῶμά sōma	G4983	the body (as a sound whole) · noun — accusative singular neuter
to the burying	ἐνταφιασμόν. entaphiasmon	G1780	preparation for interment · noun — accusative singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Corinthians 8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
John 12:7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.
Mark 15:42-16:1 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
Luke 23:53-24:3 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
2 Corinthians 8:1-3 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
1 Chronicles 29:1-17 Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work…
2 Chronicles 34:19-33 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Mark 14:1-11

We have here instances, I. Of the kindness of Christ's friends, and the provision made of respect and honour for him. Some friends he had, even in and about Jerusalem, that loved him, and never thought they could do enough for him, among whom, though Israel be not gathered, he is, and will be, glorious. 1. Here was one friend, that was so kind as to invite him to sup with him; and he was so kind as to accept the invitation, Mar 14:3. Though he had a prospect of his death approaching, yet he did not abandon himself to a melancholy retirement from all company, but conversed as freely with his friends as usual. 2. Here was another friend, that was so kind as to anoint his head with very preciou…

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Adam Clarke on Mark 14:8

To anoint my body to the burying - Εις τον ενταφιασμον, against, or in reference to, its embalmment, thus pointing out my death and the embalmment of my body, for the bodies of persons of distinction were wrapped up in aromatics to preserve them from putrefaction. See on Mat 26:12 (note).

John Gill on Mark 14:8

She hath done what she could,.... What she had in her heart, and in the power of her hands to do; she hath done according to her ability, and her good will; and if she had not done it now, she could not have done it at all. She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying; or, "as if it was to bury me", as the Syriac version renders it. Christ signifies by this, that he should shortly die, and that this woman came before hand to anoint him, and, as it were, to perform the funeral rites before he was dead; it being revealed to her by the Spirit, that Jesus would quickly die, and she should not be able to perform this good work when dead, and therefore came to do it before; or, at least…

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John Calvin on Mark 14:1-9

Mark 14:1-9 Matthew 26:1-13 Mark 14:1-9 Luke 22:1-2 1. And it happened when Jesus had finished all these discourses, he said to his disciples, 2. You know that after two days is the passover; and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3. Then were assembled the chief priests, and scribes, and elders of the people, in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4. And entered into consultation how they would take Jesus by stratagem, and kill him. 5. But they said, Not during the festival, lest there be a commotion among the people. 6. And when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7. A woman came to him, having ointment, and poured it on his head, while h…

The Church Fathers

(ubi sup.) As if the Lord said, What ye think is a waste of ointment is the service of my burial.
— Bede ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

What she had, she did; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. What you consider to be the waste of ointment is the duty of burial. It is not surprising if she gives me the good scent of her faith, since I am going to shed my blood for her.
— Bede, On the Gospel of Mark

The last and greatest office of piety is the burying of strangers and the poor; which subject those teachers of virtue and justice have not touched upon at all. For they were unable to see this, who measured all their duties by utility. Moreover, there have not been wanting those who esteemed burial as superfluous, and said that it was no evil to lie unburied and neglected; but their impious wisdom is rejected alike by the whole human race, and by the divine expressions which command the performance of the rite.
— Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Book 6 (Chapter XII)

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Anoint — The practice of anointing with perfumed oil was common among the Hebrews. (1.) The act of anointing was significant of consecration to a holy or sacred use; hence the anointing of the high priest…
Perfumes — Were used in religious worship, and for personal and domestic enjoyment (Ex. 30:35-37; Prov. 7:17; Cant. 3:6; Isa. 57:9); and also in embalming the dead, and in other funeral ceremonies (Mark 14:8;…
Simon — The abbreviated form of Simeon. (1.) One of the twelve apostles, called the Canaanite (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18). This word “Canaanite” does not mean a native of Canaan, but is derived from the Syriac…
Anointing · Of the — Of the

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Mark 14:1-11

Adam Clarke on Mark 14:8

John Gill on Mark 14:8

John Calvin on Mark 14:1-9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Mark 14:1-11

Adam Clarke on Mark 14:8

John Gill on Mark 14:8

John Calvin on Mark 14:1-9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Mark 14:8