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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
- BSB Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
- NKJV Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
- NASB Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume 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 perfume.
- NLT Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly nard and wipes them with her hair, filling the house with fragrance. Her act is extravagant worship.
Overview
Mary lavishes precious ointment on Jesus, an act of humble, sacrificial devotion symbolized by wiping his feet with her hair. The costly gift expresses wholehearted love and, as Jesus will explain, anticipates his burial. Her worship stands in stark contrast to Judas's greed in the verses that follow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Mark 14:3–9And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
- John 11:2(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
- Luke 10:38–39Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
- Matt 26:6–13Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
- Luke 7:37–38And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
- John 11:32Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
- John 11:28And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
- Luke 7:46My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
- Song 4:13–14Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
- Song 1:3Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
- Song 1:12While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
- Song 4:10How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
- Ps 132:2How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
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