Mark 14:3 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →At a supper in Bethany, a woman breaks an alabaster flask of costly perfume and pours it on the head of Jesus.
What Does Mark 14:3 Mean?
Between the plotting of priests and the bargain of Judas, Mark sets a supper. In Bethany, at the table of Simon the leper, a woman enters carrying spikenard — an imported perfume worth nearly a year of wages. She does not measure out a few drops; she breaks the flask and pours it all on the head of Jesus.
Breaking the flask meant holding nothing back. Kings were anointed on the head, and so this act quietly crowns the true King in the week of his rejection. Jesus will name it a preparation for his burial. Love that looks extravagant to onlookers is, in his eyes, exactly fitting — worship gives its best and keeps no reserve.
Mark 14:3 in the Original Language
alabastron (ἀλάβαστρον), 'alabaster box' -- a sealed flask of soft polished stone, broken open so that all could be poured out.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 14:3
What does Mark 14:3 mean?
At a supper in Bethany, a woman breaks an alabaster flask of costly perfume and pours it on the head of Jesus.