John 12:5

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii ^[a] and the money given to the poor?”

John 12:5 Meaning and Commentary

John 12:5

Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence
Meaning Roman pence, one of which is, of the value of our money, seven pence halfpenny; so that three hundred pence amount to nine pounds seven shillings and six pence:

and given to the poor?
this was his pretence, and with which he covered himself; his uneasiness was, because it was not sold, and the money put into his hands, as appears by what follows.

John 12:5 In-Context

3 Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked,

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”

6 Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She has kept this perfume in preparation for the day of My burial.

Footnotes

• [a] A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.