John 12:7
New International Version
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

New Living Translation
Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.

English Standard Version
Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

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

Berean Literal Bible
Therefore Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that for the day of My burial she may keep it.

King James Bible
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

New King James Version
But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.

NASB 1995
Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.

NASB 1977
Jesus therefore said, “Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the day of My burial.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.

Amplified Bible
So Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep [the rest of] it for the day of My burial.

Christian Standard Bible
Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial.

American Standard Version
Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus replied, "Leave her alone! She has kept this perfume for the day of my burial.

English Revised Version
Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus said to Judas, "Leave her alone! She has done this to prepare me for the day I will be placed in a tomb.

Good News Translation
But Jesus said, "Leave her alone! Let her keep what she has for the day of my burial.

International Standard Version
Then Jesus said, "Leave her alone so she can observe the day of my burial,

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

NET Bible
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial.

New Heart English Bible
But Jesus said, "Leave her alone, that she may keep this for the day of my burial.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burial hath she kept this.

Weymouth New Testament
But Jesus interposed. "Do not blame her," He said, "allow her to have kept it for the time of my preparation for burial.

World English Bible
But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Jesus, therefore, said, “Permit her; she has kept it for the day of My embalming,

Berean Literal Bible
Therefore Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that for the day of My burial she may keep it.

Young's Literal Translation
Jesus, therefore, said, 'Suffer her; for the day of my embalming she hath kept it,

Smith's Literal Translation
Then said Jesus, Let her go; for the day of my interment has she kept this.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But Jesus said: “Permit her, so that she may keep it against the day of my burial.

New American Bible
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial.

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Jesus then said, Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But Yeshua said, “Let her alone, for she has kept it for the day of my burial.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Then Jesus said: Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of my burial.

Godbey New Testament
Then Jesus said, Let her alone; she hath reserved this unto the day of my burial;

Haweis New Testament
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: for the day of my burial hath she reserved this.

Mace New Testament
then said Jesus, let her alone: against the day of my burial hath she kept this.

Weymouth New Testament
But Jesus interposed. "Do not blame her," He said, "allow her to have kept it for the time of my preparation for burial.

Worrell New Testament
Jesus, therefore, said, "Suffer her to keep it for the day of My burial;

Worsley New Testament
Jesus therefore said, Let her alone, she hath reserved this as for the day of my burial.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Mary Anoints Jesus
6Judas 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. 8The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.”…

Cross References
Matthew 26:12
By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial.

Mark 14:8
She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial.

John 11:2
(Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)

John 19:39-40
Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. / So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.

Luke 7:37-38
When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. / As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume.

Matthew 26:6-13
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, / a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table. / When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste? ...

Mark 14:3-9
While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head. / Some of those present, however, expressed their indignation to one another: “Why this waste of perfume? / It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ...

John 13:1
It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.

John 19:25
Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.

John 20:1
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

1 Samuel 2:30
Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

2 Kings 4:9-10
Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God. / Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”

Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 45:7-8
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above your companions with the oil of joy. / All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, / to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, / to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying has she kept this.

Let.

Psalm 109:31
For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.

Zechariah 3:2
And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Matthew 26:10
When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.

against.

John 19:38-42
And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus…

Matthew 26:12
For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

Matthew 27:57-60
When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: …

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John 12
1. Jesus excuses Mary anointing his feet.
9. The people flock to see Lazarus.
10. The chief priests consult to kill him.
12. Jesus rides into Jerusalem.
20. Greeks desire to see Jesus.
23. He foretells his death.
37. The people are generally blinded;
42. yet many chief rulers believe, but do not confess him;
44. therefore Jesus calls earnestly for confession of faith.














Leave her alone
In this phrase, Jesus is addressing those who criticized Mary for anointing Him with expensive perfume. The Greek word for "leave" is "ἄφες" (aphes), which can also mean "forgive" or "permit." This indicates a command to cease judgment or interference. Jesus' defense of Mary highlights His authority and the importance of her act. Historically, this moment underscores the cultural norms of the time, where women were often marginalized, yet Jesus elevates Mary's actions, showing His counter-cultural respect and honor for women.

Jesus replied
The Greek word for "replied" is "εἶπεν" (eipen), which is a simple past tense verb meaning "said." This indicates a direct and authoritative response from Jesus. In the context of the Gospel of John, Jesus' words often carry deep theological significance, revealing His divine insight and purpose. His reply here is not just a defense of Mary but a profound revelation of His impending death and burial, which He fully understands and embraces.

She was intended to keep this perfume
The phrase "was intended" comes from the Greek "ἵνα" (hina), often translated as "in order that" or "so that," indicating purpose or divine intention. The perfume, "μύρον" (myron), was a costly ointment, symbolizing honor and sacrifice. In the historical context, anointing with perfume was a sign of respect and preparation for burial. Jesus acknowledges that Mary's act was divinely purposed, foreshadowing His death and burial, and aligning with the prophetic tradition of anointing.

to prepare for the day of My burial
The word "prepare" in Greek is "τηρήσῃ" (tērēsē), meaning "to keep" or "to preserve." This suggests that Mary's act was not just spontaneous devotion but a fulfillment of a divine plan. The "day of My burial" refers to Jesus' imminent crucifixion and burial, which He predicts multiple times throughout the Gospels. This phrase connects to the Jewish burial customs of the time, where bodies were anointed with spices and perfumes. Jesus' acknowledgment of His burial signifies His acceptance of His sacrificial role as the Lamb of God, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowing His resurrection.

(7) Against the day of my burying hath she kept this.--The majority of the better MSS. read, "that she keep this against the day of My burying." Comp. Matthew 26:12 and Mark 14:8. The thought here differs from that in the earlier Gospels, and the common reading has therefore been adapted to harmonise with it. Taking the better text, the meaning here is, "Let her alone, that she may keep this for the day of My embalmment." She had taken a pound of ointment (John 12:3) and had anointed His feet. This reminds Him of the embalmment of the dead, which had been but lately in that very place, and in the person of one sitting with them, present to their minds. Her act is significant of the future which is approaching. Let them not stay that deed of love. Before the week ends His body will be carried to the sepulchre. The preparations for the grave have already been begun.

Verse 7. - The two readings of the text must here be compared with one another and with the synoptic narrative. The T.R. reads, Let her alone: unto the day of the preparation for my burial she has carefully guarded this precious perfume. This is, in one sense, that very day, and she has found out the solemn fact in a way in which the disciples had as yet failed to do. With this agrees the language of the synoptists," Why trouble ye the woman? she hath wrought a good work on me;... she hath done that which was possible to her (ο{ ἐσχεν ἐποίησεν)" of Mark 14:8. In fact, Mark expressly conveys this thought - "she has anticipated the anointing of my body for the burial." If we have the direct testimony of Mark (i.e. Peter), Christ must have expressed himself thus. Matthew also in different words records the same pathetic and subtle thought: "For in that she poured [cast] this ointment upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial" (John 26:12) Hengstenberg, Godet, and Stier abide by the reading of the T.R.; but the principal manuscripts, in most powerful combination, have led Lachmann, Alford, Tischendorf, and Westcott and Hort to read here, Ἵνα εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ ἐνταφιασμοῦ τηρήση αὐτό, "In order that she may keep or guard this for the day of my burial." Westcott says that the synoptists imply rather, by the word κατέχεεν, that She had not already consumed the whole of the ointment. Meyer, with this text, translates, "Let her alone, that she may preserve it (this ointment, of which she has just poured some over my feet) for the day of my embalmment." This certainly seems inconsistent with the complaint of the disciples or of Judas, at the apparently superfluous expenditure, and would compel us to restrict the abed to the unused portion. The advocates of the T.R. reading say that it represents the original text, which has been altered by criticism arising from misunderstanding of the idea of the day of burial having ideally arrived; but why did they not alter on the same principle the language of the synoptists? The advocates of Lachmann's text say that it has been altered by copyists, to bring it into accord with the text of the synoptists. Lange justifies the Revised Version, "Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying," and puts it thus: "Permit her to keep it [i.e. to have kept the ointment which she might have used at the burial of Lazarus] for the day of my burial," now ideally present in the outbreak of Judas's devilish malignity. So virtually Luthardt and Baumgarten-Crusius. Godet argues that this is forced and ungrammatical. But there is this advantage in it, that it brings the language into much closer relation with the synoptists. Westcott prefers the idea of Meyer. The older view is to me far mere satisfactory. Edersheim (2:35) adds to this, "Mary may have had that alabaster box from early days, before she had learned to serve Christ. When she understood that decease of which he constantly spake, she may have put it aside, "kept it," "against the day of his burying." And now the decisive hour is come.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Leave her alone,”
Ἄφες (Aphes)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 863: From apo and hiemi; to send forth, in various applications.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

replied.
Εἶπεν (Eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“She was intended
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

to keep
τηρήσῃ (tērēsē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5083: From teros; to guard, i.e. To note; by implication, to detain; by extension, to withhold; by extension, to withhold.

[this perfume]
αὐτό (auto)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

to prepare for
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

day
ἡμέραν (hēmeran)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

of
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

My
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

burial.
ἐνταφιασμοῦ (entaphiasmou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 1780: Embalming, preparation of a body for burial. From entaphiazo; preparation for interment.


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NT Gospels: John 12:7 But Jesus said Leave her alone (Jhn Jo Jn)
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