For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
Parallel translations
- WEB for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”
- BSB For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
- NKJV for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
- NASB for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
- NLT For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
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
The rich gave from their surplus, but the widow gave all she had to live on. Her gift was total, trusting self-surrender to God.
Overview
The widow's offering left her with nothing, an act of complete dependence on God's care. Her devotion foreshadows the self-giving of Christ, who, though rich, became poor and gave his very life for us (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus commends not the amount but the wholehearted trust, calling his followers to give themselves fully to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 2 Cor 8:2–3How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
- 1 Jn 3:17But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
- Ezra 2:68–69And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:
- Mark 14:8She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
- Luke 21:2–4And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
- Luke 15:30But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
- Luke 8:43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
- 2 Chr 24:10–14And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.
- Deut 24:6No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.
- 2 Chr 31:5–10And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.
- Neh 7:70–72And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests’ garments.
- Luke 15:12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
- Phil 4:10–17But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
- 2 Chr 35:7–8And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king’s substance.
- 1 Chr 29:2–17Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 12:44 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.