John 11:2

(It was [that] Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

{G1161}(It was {G2258} that Mary {G3137} which {G3588} anointed {G218} the Lord {G2962} with ointment {G3464}, and {G2532} wiped {G1591} his {G846} feet {G4228} with her {G846} hair {G2359}, whose {G3739} brother {G80} Lazarus {G2976} was sick {G770}.)

(This Miryam, whose brother El‘azar had become sick, is the one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)

(Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)

And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

John 11:2 serves as a crucial explanatory note inserted by the Apostle John. It clarifies which Mary is being referenced in the unfolding narrative of Lazarus's sickness. The verse reminds the reader of a significant act of devotion Mary performed, an act so memorable it served as her definitive identifier.

Context

This verse appears early in John Chapter 11, which details the sickness and subsequent resurrection of Lazarus. Before introducing Mary and Martha's plea for Jesus to heal their brother, John ensures his audience knows exactly who this Mary is. She is not Mary Magdalene, nor Mary the mother of Jesus, but Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The anointing event mentioned here is described later in John's Gospel (John 12:1-8), where Mary of Bethany anointed the Lord with costly ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, an act Jesus Himself defended as preparation for His burial.

Key Themes

  • Identification: The verse highlights the evangelist's precision in identifying key figures, preventing confusion for the reader. Mary's act of anointing was so profound that it became her defining characteristic.
  • Devotion and Worship: Mary's act of anointing Jesus with expensive perfume and humbling herself to wipe His feet with her hair demonstrated extraordinary love and reverence. This devotion is a recurring theme associated with Mary of Bethany, contrasting often with her sister Martha's more practical concerns (Luke 10:38-42).
  • Foreshadowing and Remembrance: By referring to the anointing event, John subtly connects Mary's act of worship to Jesus' impending death and burial, emphasizing the prophetic nature of her devotion.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV's parenthetical structure and the use of "[that]" (often italicized in some printings to indicate it's supplied by translators for clarity) emphasizes the identifying nature of the verse. It's a precise reference point for readers familiar with Jesus' ministry and the significant encounters He had.

Practical Application

John 11:2 reminds us of the profound impact individual acts of devotion can have. Mary's act of worship was not only memorable to John but also to Jesus Himself, who declared that "wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her" (Matthew 26:13). It encourages believers to consider how their own expressions of love and service to Christ might be recognized and remembered in God's eternal plan.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • John 12:3

    Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

  • Mark 14:3

    And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured [it] on his head.

  • Matthew 26:6

    ¶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

  • Matthew 26:7

    There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat [at meat].

  • Luke 7:37

    And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that [Jesus] sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

  • Luke 7:38

    And stood at his feet behind [him] weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe [them] with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed [them] with the ointment.

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