Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying (Afev authn, ina eiv thn hmeran tou entafiasmou mou thrhsh auto). This reading (ina thrhsh, purpose clause with ina and first aorist active subjunctive of threw) rather than that of the Textus Receptus (just tethreken, perfect active indicative) is correct. It is supported by Aleph B D L W Theta. The ina can be rendered as above after afev according to Koin‚ idiom or more probably: "Let her alone: it was that," etc. (supplying "it was"). Either makes good sense. The word entafiasmov is a later and rare substantive from the late verb entafiazw, to prepare for burial (Matthew 26:12; John 19:40), and means preparation for burial. In N.T. only here and Mark 14:8. "Preparation for my burial" is the idea here and in Mark. The idea of Jesus is that Mary had saved this money to use in preparing his body for burial. She is giving him the flowers before the funeral. We can hardly take it that Mary did not use all of the ointment for Mark (Mark 14:3) says that she broke it and yet he adds (Mark 14:8) what John has here. It is a paradox, but Jesus is fond of paradoxes. Mary has kept this precious gift by giving it now beforehand as a preparation for my burial. We really keep what we give to Christ. This is Mary's glory that she had some glimmering comprehension of Christ's death which none of the disciples possessed.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 12:7:
Luke 7:37
John 11:2
John 11:5
John 12:2
John 12:2
Revelation 11:9
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