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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Mark C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Mark 14 V1 V7 V10 V13 V16 V19 V22 V25 V28 V31 V34 V37 V40 V43 V46 V49 V52 V55 V58 V61 V64 V67 V70
OET (OET-LV) But some were resenting to themselves:
For/Because why the this destruction of_the ointment has_become?
In this section, Mark told how a woman honored Jesus. She did this by pouring very expensive perfume on his head while he was eating with some friends. Jesus said that what the woman did prepared his body for burial. Her action contrasted sharply with the way the Jewish leaders were plotting to arrest and kill Jesus in the previous section (14:1–2). It also contrasted with Judas’ offer to betray Jesus in the next section (14:10–11).
The events in this section happened in Bethany, which was near Jerusalem on the slope of the Mount of Olives. Before 14:3, the last reference to Jesus’ location was in 13:3, which tells us that “Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives.” Mark 11:11–12 indicates that Jesus stayed in Bethany at night and went to Jerusalem during the day.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
A woman pours perfume on Jesus’ head
A woman honors Jesus at Bethany
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 26:6–13 and John 12:1–8.
Some of those present, however, expressed their indignation to one another:
Some of the people there were angry with the woman and said to one another,
As for some of the people, they were upset by what the woman did, so they said to one another,
Some of the people there became angry with her. They complained to one another
This part of the verse introduces how the other guests responded to what the woman did. Introduce it in a natural way in your language. See the Display for 14:4a.
Some of those present: The phrase Some of those present refers to other people who were also at Simon’s house with Jesus. They were guests in Simon’s house. Introduce them in a natural way in your language.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Some of the people there (GNT)
Some of the other people there
expressed their indignation to one another: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as expressed their indignation to one another is literally “were indignant to themselves.” In this context the phrase indicates that the people there criticized what the woman had done. They were angry about it and they told one another that they did not approve of what she had done. The phrase does not indicate that each guest was saying these things to himself in his own mind.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Some were annoyed/angry with the woman and said to one another
Some who were there became upset and said to each other
In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that it was what the woman did that caused the people to become indignant or angry. For example:
Some were upset by what the woman did and said to one another
The pouring out of perfume made some of the guests angry
“Why this waste of perfume?
“Why did she waste such expensive perfume like this?
“How could she pour out this expensive perfume on Jesus like that? She has wasted it!
that she had wasted the perfume,
Why this waste of perfume?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise and anger. The guests thought that the woman had wasted the perfume by pouring it on Jesus. There are at least three ways to translate this:
As a rhetorical question. For example:
Why did she waste such expensive perfume like this?
How could she pour all this costly perfume on Jesus and waste it like that?
As a critical statement or exclamation. For example:
What a waste!
She should never have wasted this costly perfume!
Use whichever form is most natural in your language to express surprise and anger in this context.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
δέ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἦσαν Δέ τινές ἀγανακτοῦντες πρός ἑαυτούς Εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν)
Here, the word But introduces the next thing that happened. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next event, or you could leave But untranslated. Alternate translation: [Then]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἀγανακτοῦντες πρὸς ἑαυτούς
resenting (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἦσαν Δέ τινές ἀγανακτοῦντες πρός ἑαυτούς Εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν)
Here Mark could be implying that: (1) the people spoke the following words to each other. Alternate translation: [being very angry and saying to one another] (2) the people thought the following words without saying them. Alternate translation: [being very angry and thinking]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations
πρὸς ἑαυτούς, εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν? & ἠδύνατο γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ μύρον πραθῆναι ἐπάνω δηναρίων τριακοσίων, καὶ δοθῆναι τοῖς πτωχοῖς & καὶ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἦσαν Δέ τινές ἀγανακτοῦντες πρός ἑαυτούς Εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν)
It may be more natural in your language to have an indirect quotation here. Alternate translation: [asking for what the waste of the perfumed oil had happened and saying that the perfumed oil was able to have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἦσαν Δέ τινές ἀγανακτοῦντες πρός ἑαυτούς Εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν)
The people there are using the question form to show that they think the woman wasted the perfume. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [There is no reason for this waste of the perfumed oil.] or [What a waste of the perfumed oil!]
εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἦσαν Δέ τινές ἀγανακτοῦντες πρός ἑαυτούς Εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν)
Alternate translation: [What is the purpose for this waste of the perfumed oil]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν
¬the destruction this ˱of˲_the ointment ˓has˒_become
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of waste, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [is she wasting this perfumed oil]
14:3-9 The story of Jesus’ being anointed by a woman in Bethany (14:3-9) sets the scene for events to follow. Luke’s account (Luke 7:36-50) is significantly different and might be a different event. This incident took place in Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem on the lower, eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus apparently stayed when he was in Judea (Mark 11:1, 11-12). The home belonged to Simon, a former leper (lepers were isolated from society; perhaps he had been healed by Jesus; see 1:40-45).
• eating: Or reclining. The meal was a banquet, as indicated by their reclining. A woman (see John 12:3) broke the neck of a sealed, alabaster jar containing expensive perfume (pure nard) and poured it all on Jesus’ head (see Exod 29:4-7; 2 Kgs 9:1-6).
OET (OET-LV) But some were resenting to themselves:
For/Because why the this destruction of_the ointment has_become?
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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