For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
Parallel Translations
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For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
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And in that she casted this oyntment on my bodye she dyd it to burye me with all.
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For in that shee powred this oyntment on my bodie, shee did it to burie me.
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Matthew 26:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Mark 14:8 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.
- John 12:7 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 They buried him in his own tomb, which he had dug out for himself in David’s city, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great fire for him.
- Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.
- Luke 23:56–24:1 They returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.
- John 19:39-40 Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds. So they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain In that she poured this ointment upon my body,…
In that she poured this ointment upon my body, she did it to bury me.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment…
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Ver. 12. She did it for my burial] This Mary perhaps understood not. So things that we think come to pass by haphazard are preordained, and sweetly ordered by Almighty God in his secret counsel, and by his fatherly providence, to excellent ends many times, such as we never thought on.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For in that she hath poured this ointment,.... Which…
For in that she hath poured this ointment,.... Which was so very precious, and cost so much,
upon my body: for being poured on his head, it ran down all over his body.
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She did it for my burial; not for the interment of his body, but for the embalming of it, previous to it: the Jews used to embalm their dead, to show their constant respect to the deceased, and their belief of the resurrection; at least not only used to wash them, but anoint them with oil; for so runs one of their canons (i):
"they do all things necessary to the dead, (i.e. on the sabbath day,) "they anoint him": that is, as Bartenora adds, "with oil"; and they wash him;''
but the body of Christ, when dead, was not to be so used: the women intended it, and prepared materials for it, but the sabbath coming on, they rested according to the commandment; though, according to this canon, they might have anointed him, but they waited till the sabbath was over; and early on the first day, in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, in order to do it, but it was too late, Christ was risen; see Luk 23:56. Now either this woman had some revelation made to her, that the death of Christ was near at hand, and she feared, or knew, she should not be able to anoint him when dead; and therefore, as Mark has it, "she hath done what she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying", Mar 14:8, or if she had no knowledge of all this, nor any such intention, yet the Holy Ghost directed her to this action, with this view, as it were, for the performing of these funeral rites before he was dead; and so the Syriac version renders it, "she hath done it, , as it were, to bury me".
(i) Misn. Sabbat, c. 23. sect. 5.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain She hath done it for my burial - As…
She hath done it for my burial - As it were for the embalming of my body. Indeed this was not her design: but our Lord puts this construction upon it, to confirm thereby what he had before said to his disciples, concerning his approaching death.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. She did it for my burial.] Or,…
Verse 12. She did it for my burial.] Or, She hath done it to embalm me - ενταφιασαι με. The Septuagint use ενταφιαστης for the person whose office it was to embalm, Ge 50:2, and ενταφιαζω for the Hebrew הנט which signifies to prepare with spices, or aromatics, Ge 50:3. Our Lord took this opportunity to tell them, once more, that he was shortly to die.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 12. Did it for my burial — It is…
12. Did it for my burial — It is supposed by some that Mary had either been informed by our Lord of his approaching death, or even that she had some prophetic presentiment of it. It may be remarked that, for the sake of propriety, our Lord was regularly accompanied by twelve male disciples; but the Gospels take care to assure us that those who believed and loved him were not all men; but that woman in her place was not less true to his divine claims than man. Of this fact Mary is the most striking instance; and the meek, silent, and sudden manner in which she comes from her retirement, perhaps from her place of prayer, where the sad future of our Lord may have been intimated to her, into this feast, and performs this act of sorrowful affection, is a special exemplification. It may well be thought possible that our Lord communicated to her a clearer knowledge of his approaching death than to his disciples. Or it may be that to her, as to a divine love, was imparted the spiritual presentiment of the truth. And yet, finally, it is very possible that she acted from the simple impulse of love; and that our Lord himself, giving it a higher meaning, elevated the act into a prediction of his approaching burial. Just so the words of Caiaphas (Joh_11:49-53) had an unconscious prophetic import.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. for my burial] For this use of perfumes…
12. for my burial] For this use of perfumes cp. 2Ch_16:14, “They laid him (Asa) in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (12) She did it for my burial.—The words must…
(12) She did it for my burial.—The words must have fallen with a strange sadness upon the ears of the disciples and the other guests. They were expecting that “the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luk_19:11), and were looking forward to the dawn of the next day as the hour of its victory and triumph. The enthusiasm of the moment made them deaf to the real import of what they heard, and their Master, alone of all that company, knew that the fragrance of that perfume would not have died away when His body should be laid in the sepulchre.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On my body, she did it for my burial…
On my body, she did it for my burial (pro entafiasai me , to prepare me for burial). This doubtless was in some sort her intention (see on ver 10). She desired to offer what she could (Mar_14:8) of the offices and attentions due to the corpse of a beloved and revered Friend. Christ interpreted her act, and gave it a solemn significance. By this effusion of the precious unguent site anticipated the embalming of the Lord"s body; she showed her reverence for that body which was to be given for the life of the world not many days hence. The full meaning of the mystery of which she was the instrument Mary did not comprehend, but what she had consciously done received a wonderful commendation from the Lord, which has no parallel in the Gospel history.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 12. To prepare me for burial. It was customary…
12. To prepare me for burial. It was customary to anoint the dead and lay the body in spices. See John 19:40; Luke 23:56; 2 Chron. 16:14. Mary was probably impelled only by her love of the Lord and desire to do him honor; but Jesus, about to die and be buried, declares the anointing a fit preparation.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain for my
for my
Supply to prepare me.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 This is oil that has a pleasing smell. See…
ointment
This is oil that has a pleasing smell. See how you translated this in Matthew 26:7.
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Truly I say to you
"I tell you the truth." This adds emphasis to what Jesus says next.
wherever this gospel is preached
This can be stated in active form. AT: "wherever people preach this gospel" (See: Active or Passive)
what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her
This can be stated in active form. AT: "they will remember what this woman has done and will tell others about her" or "people will remember what this woman has done and will tell others about her" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
bury
amen
good news
preach
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 26:12 to prepare my body for burial: It is…
26:12 to prepare my body for burial: It is not clear whether the woman fully understood the significance of her actions. In addition to preparation for burial, the anointing also speaks of Jesus as king (1 Sam 10:1; 2 Kgs 9:6) and priest (Exod 29:7).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.