For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
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.”
- KJV 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.
- 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.”
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 much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.
- 1 Jn 3:17But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?
- Ezra 2:68–69Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they came to Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for God’s house to set it up in its place.
- Mark 14:8She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.
- Luke 21:2–4He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins.
- Luke 15:30But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
- Luke 8:43A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any,
- 2 Chr 24:10–14All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had filled it.
- Deut 24:6No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone as a pledge; for he takes a life in pledge.
- 2 Chr 31:5–10As soon as the commandment went out, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the increase of the field; and they brought in the tithe of all things abundantly.
- Neh 7:70–72Some from among the heads of fathers’ households gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priests’ garments.
- Luke 15:12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.
- Phil 4:10–17But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity.
- 2 Chr 35:7–8Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and young goats, all of them for the Passover offerings, to all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls. 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 the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the brass for the things of brass, iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; also onyx stones, stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, of various colors, all kinds 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
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