After a woman pours oil on Jesus's head in the house of Simon the leper.
Mark 14:8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
Mark 14:8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.
Mark 14:8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time.
She has this. She does. She anticipates rubbing this body of mine for the entombment.
This verse is surprisingly different in Greek than in these translations. This is nothing that can be translated as "she could." These translations offer a confusion of tenses, but all the Greek verbs are the form that indicates something happening a specific point in time, past, present, or future. IHowever, we know the time of the event and that it was currently still happening as Jesus spoke.
This verse has two words used nowhere else by Jesus. One word means "anticipate," but it is either mistranslated or ignored. The other means "rub" or "anoint" but it is no relation to the Greek word from which we get "christ," which means "anointed." It also has another word, "burial," that doesn't appear anywhere else in the Greek except this verse and the version of this verse in John.
Even given the opportunity, Jesus never says that he was "anointed" in the same sense as the Christ.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "has" does not capture the word's specific meaning in this situation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "done" is translated a past perfect. This tense can be either the past, present, or future but something happening at a specific point in time.
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "this" doesn't appear here but as the object of "has."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "she could" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "come aforehand" means "get before" or "anticipate."
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "anoint."
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "to" means "for."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "has" is not shown in the English translation.
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "what" doesn't appear here but as the object of "has."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "she could" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW -- Wrong Word -- The word translated as "poured" means "rubbing."
- WF -- Wrong Form -- The word translated as "poured" is not an active verb in the Greek, but a gerund, "rubbing."
- IW -- Inserted Word -- The word "perfume" does not appear in the original Greek.
- IW -- Inserted Word -- The word "on" does not appear in the original Greek.
- MS -- Missing Word -- The article "the" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW -- Wrong Word -- The word translated as "prepare" means "anticipate."
- WF -- Wrong Form -- The word translated as "prepare" is not an infinite in the Greek. It is the active verb. The infinitive is more like the word mistranslated as "poured."
- WW -- Wrong Word -- The word translated as "my" means "the."
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has done" is translated a past perfect. This tense can be either the past, present, or future but something happening at a specific point in time.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "could" does not mean the future tense.
- IW -- Inserted Word -- The word "and" does not appear in the original Greek.
- WW -- Wrong Word -- The word translated as "has" before "anoint" should be "to" indicating an infinite form.
- MW - Missing Word -- The verb "anticipate" before "annoint" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "anoint."
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has anointed" is translated as the past perfect tense. This tense can be either the past, present, or future but something happening at a specific point in time.
- WF -- Wrong Form -- The word translated as "anoint" is an infinite in the Greek but is a gerund, rubbing
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "the" before "body" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "the" before "burial" is not shown in the English translation.
She -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
hath -- (CW, WT) This is not the helping verb "has" like we have in English. indicates that the following verb is the tense indicating an action competed in the past. - The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as the helper verb does in English.
done -- The Greek word translated as "done" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
what -- (WP) The word translated as "What" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("he," "she"), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause. It begins the sentence, emphasizing it. In Greek the most important words comes first. It is in the form of an object but it is not the object of "done" but of "has."
she could: --- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "she could" in the Greek source.
she -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
is -- This helping verb "is" indicates that the following verb is the present tense, but it is the same tense as the previous two verbs ("does", and "has").
come -- (WW) This word doesn't mean "come" but literally "get before." Jesus uses this Greek verb only here. It is a compound verb that means to "take or receive before", "take or seize beforehand", "to be beforehand with", "anticipate", "anticipate the event", "prejudge", and "repeat from the origin." It is not built on the base of the very common word translated in the NT as "come." The root word has the sense of "get" in English. The prefix means "before." See below. The sense is clearly "she anticipates."
aforehand -- This is from the prefix that means "before" of the previous verb.
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the following verb requires a "to" in English. However, the Greek infinitive acts more like a noun describing the action than English infinitives, especially as subjects and objects.
anoint -- (CW) The verb "anoint" is also used only here by Jesus, This verb means "to rub with ointment" and "anoint". This is NOT the same word that means "anoint" that is the basis for the word "christ", the anointed. However, this does bring to mind a different meaning of "anointed" for Christ: he was anointed for his burial before his death. The verb is in the form of an infinite, which acts more like a noun in English like we would use "anointing." Nor is this the word that is usually translated as "anoint." Though the form of this verb is technically an infinitive, here is should be translated as a noun (a gerund), rubbing.
my -- "My" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek in the possessive form, so "my" or "of me".
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
body The word translated as "body" means "body", either living or dead, but it also means anything physical or solid. Like our word "body" it has special meanings such as "body" of proof and the "body" of a document. It is the opposite of "spirit" but more connected to the "soul" because it is part of this life. It is the physical substance of things. See this article on the parts of a human as Jesus uses the words.
to -- (WW) The word translated as "to" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. But it also means "for" a purpose, which is its sense here.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
burying. -- The word translated as "the burying" only appears twice in Jesus's words in the Gospels. It is used twice by Jesus, once here and once in a similar verse in John describing this incident. It is constructed of two Greek word meaning "in tomb." It is not a form of the verb "to bury" but has the sense of "entombment" in English.
She -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
missing "has" -- (MW) The untranslated word is not the helping verb "has" like we have in English. indicates that the following verb is the tense indicating an action competed in the past. - The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as the helper verb does in English.
did -- The Greek word translated as "did" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
what -- (WP) The word translated as "What" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("he," "she"), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause. It begins the sentence, emphasizing it. In Greek the most important words comes first. It is in the form of an object but it is not the object of "done" but of "has."
she could: --- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "she could" in the Greek source.
she -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
poured -- (WW, WF) This Greek word does not mean "poured" but "rub. The verb "anoint" is used only here by Jesus, This verb means "to rub with ointment" and "anoint". It is NOT the same word that means "anoint" that is the basis for the word "christ", the anointed. However, this does bring to mind a different meaning of "anointed" for Christ: he was anointed for his burial before his death. The verb is not an active verb, but a verb in the form of an infinite, which acts like a noun in English like we would use "anointing." This verb actually occurs later in the sentence, where "prepare" appears in this translation.
perfume -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "perfume" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used.
on -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "on" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used.
my -- "My" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek in the possessive form, so "my" or "of me".
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
body -- The word translated as "body" means "body", either living or dead, but it also means anything physical or solid. Like our word "body" it has special meanings such as "body" of proof and the "body" of a document. It is the opposite of "spirit" but more connected to the "soul" because it is part of this life. It is the physical substance of things. See this article on the parts of a human as Jesus uses the words.
beforehand -- This is from the prefix that means "before"of the previous verb meaning "anticipate" translated as "prepare" below.
to -- (WF) This "to" is added to indicate the infinitive form of the following verb, but that verb is active.
prepare -- (WW) Jesus uses this Greek verb only here but it does not mean "prepare". It is a compound verb that means to "take or receive before", "take or seize beforehand", "to be beforehand with", "anticipate", "anticipate the event", "prejudge", and "repeat from the origin." The root word has the sense of "get" in English. The prefix means "before." See "beforehand" above. The sense is clearly "she anticipates."
for -- The word translated as "for" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. It also means "for" a purpose, which is its sense here.
my -- (WW) The word translated as "my" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
burial -- The word translated as "burial" only appears twice in Jesus's words in the Gospels. It is used twice by Jesus, once here and once in a similar verse in John describing this incident. It is constructed of two Greek word meaning "in tomb." It is not a form of the verb "to bury" but has the sense of "entombment" in English.
She -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb.
Has-- (CW, WT) This is not the helping verb "has" like we have in English. indicates that the following verb is the tense indicating an action competed in the past. - The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as the helper verb does in English.
done -- The Greek word translated as "done" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
what -- (WP) The word translated as "What" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("he," "she"), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause. It begins the sentence, emphasizing it. In Greek the most important words comes first. It is in the form of an object but it is not the object of "done" but of "has."
she could: --- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "she could" in the Greek source.
and -- -- (IW) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "and" in the source.
has -- (WT) The word "to" should appear here to indicate that the following verb is an infinitive. This helping verb "has" indicates that the following verb "anoint" is an active verb in a tense of an action competed in the past. This is not the form or tense of that verb.
missing "anticipated" -- (MW) Jesus uses this Greek verb only here. It is a compound verb that means means to "take or receive before", "take or seize beforehand", "to be beforehand with", "anticipate", "anticipate the event", "prejudge", and "repeat from the origin." The root word has the sense of "get" in English. The prefix means "before." See below. The sense if clearly "she anticipates."
anointed -- (WF, CW) The verb "anoint" is also used only here by Jesus, This verb means "to rub with ointment" and "anoint". It is NOT the same word that means "anoint" that is the basis for the word "christ", the anointed. However, this does bring to mind a different meaning of "anointed" for Christ: he was anointed for his burial before his death. The verb is in the form of an infinite, which acts more like a noun in English like we would use "anointing."
my -- "My" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek in the possessive form, so "my" or "of me".
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
body The word translated as "body" means "body", either living or dead, but it also means anything physical or solid. Like our word "body" it has special meanings such as "body" of proof and the "body" of a document. It is the opposite of "spirit" but more connected to the "soul" because it is part of this life. It is the physical substance of things. See this article on the parts of a human as Jesus uses the words.
for -- The word translated as "for" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. It also means "for" a purpose, which is its sense here.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
burial -- -- The word translated as "the burying" only appears twice in Jesus's words in the Gospels. It is used twice by Jesus, once here and once in a similar verse in John describing this incident. It is constructed of two Greek word meaning "in tomb." It is not a form of the verb "to bury" but has the sense of "entombment" in English.
ahead of time. -- This is from the prefix that means "before" of the untranslated verb above meaning "to anticipate."
ὃ [294 verses]( pron sg neut acc/nom ) "Which" is hos, which means "this", "that", "he", "she", "which", "what", "who", "whosoever", "where", "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
ἔσχεν [294 verses]( verb 3rd sg aor ind act ) "She could" is echo, which means "to have", "to hold", "to possess", "to keep", "to have charge of", "to have due to one", "to maintain", "to hold fast", "to bear", "to carry", "to keep close", "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." --
ἐποίησεν, [168 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind act ) "She hath done" is poieo, which means "to make", "to produce", "to create", "to bring into existence", "to bring about", "to cause", "to perform", "to render", "to consider", "to prepare", "to make ready," and "to do." --
προέλαβεν [1 verse] ( verb 3rd sg aor ind act ) "She is come aforehand" is prolambano, which means to "take or receive before", "take or seize beforehand", "to be beforehand with", "anticipate", "anticipate the event", "prejudge", and "repeat from the origin." The root word has a meaning much like the English "get" meaning both taking and receiving.
μυρίσαι [1 verse]( verb aor inf act ) "To anoint" is myrizo, which means "to rub with ointment" and "anoint".
τὸ (article sg neut acc ) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." --
σῶμά ( noun sg neut acc ) "Body" is soma, which means "body", "dead body", "the living body", "animal body", "person", "human being", "any corporeal substance", "metallic substance", "figure of three dimensions [math]", "solid", "whole [of a thing]", "frame [of a thing]", "the body of the proof", "a body of writings." and "text of a document." --
μου [239 verses](adj sg masc gen) "Me" is fro
εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "in" (a position), "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc ) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ἐνταφιασμόν [3 verses]( noun sg masc acc) "Burying" is from entaphiasmos, which means "laying out for burial", from two Greek words meaning "in tomb" (en taphos). This is the noun form of the verb, ἐνταφιάζω (entaphiazo) which means to prepare a body for burial, which in the Jewish tradition means washing, dressing, anointing, perfuming, etc. These words only appear in the NT Bible not the Greek OT.