Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Sold (epraqh). First aorist passive indicative of pipraskw, old verb to sell (Matthew 13:46).
For three hundred pence (triakosiwn dhnariwn). Genitive of price. Same item in Mark 14:5, while in Matthew 26:9 it is simply "for much" (pollou). But all three have "given to the poor" (edoqh ptwxoiv). First aorist passive indicative of didwmi with dative case ptwxoiv (note absence of the article, poor people), real beggars, mendicants (Matthew 19:21; Luke 14:13). But only John singles out Judas as the one who made the protest against this waste of money while Mark says that "some" had indignation and Matthew has it that "the disciples" had indignation. Clearly Judas was the spokesman for the group who chimed in and agreed with his protest. The amount here spent by Mary (ten guineas) would equal a day labourer's wages for a year (Dods).
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 12:5:
Mark 14:5
Luke 7:37
Luke 22:4
John 11:2
John 11:5
John 12:2
John 12:2
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