John 12:4

John 12:4

2 ^aThere they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.

3 Then ^aMary took a pound of very costly oil of ^bspikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, ^aJudas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said,

5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for¹ three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and ^ahad the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone;¹ she has kept this for the day of My burial.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Judas Iscariot (Ioudav o Iskariwthv). See o Iskariwthv in John 14:22. See John 6:71; John 13:1 for like description of Judas save that in John 6:71 the father's name is given in the genitive, Simwnov and Iskariwtou (agreeing with the father), but in John 13:1 Iskariwthv agrees with Ioudav, not with Simwnov. Clearly then both father and son were called "Iscariot" or man of Kerioth in the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:25). Judas is the only one of the twelve not a Galilean.

One of his disciples (eiv twn maqhtwn autou). Likewise in John 6:71, only there ek is used after eiv as some MSS. have here. This is the shameful fact that clung to the name of Judas.

Which should betray him (o mellwn auton paradidonai). John does not say in John 6:71 (emellen paradidonai auton) or here that Judas "was predestined to betray Jesus" as Bernard suggests. He had his own responsibility for his guilt as Jesus said (Matthew 26:24). Mellw here simply points to the act as future, not as necessary. Note the contrast between Mary and Judas. "Mary in her devotion unconsciously provides for the honour of the dead. Judas in his selfishness unconsciously brings about the death itself" (Westcott).

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 12:4:**

Matthew 26:8
Mark 14:5
Luke 7:37
Luke 22:4
John 6:8
John 6:70
John 6:71
John 11:2
John 11:5
John 12:2
John 12:2
John 13:18

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John 12:5 >>

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