John 11:1-3

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. John 11:1 tn Grk “from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.”
2. John 11:2 tn Or “perfume,” “ointment.”
3. John 11:2 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It is a bit surprising that the author here identifies Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, since this event is not mentioned until later, in 12:3. Many see this “proleptic” reference as an indication that the author expected his readers to be familiar with the story already, and go on to assume that in general the author in writing the Fourth Gospel assumed his readers were familiar with the other three gospels. Whether the author assumed actual familiarity with the synoptic gospels or not, it is probable that he did assume some familiarity with Mary’s anointing activity.
4. John 11:3 tn The phrase “a message” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from context.
5. John 11:3 tn Grk “to him, saying”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.