1:23 John 1 said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight 2 the way for the Lord,’ 3 as Isaiah the prophet said.”
1 tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
3 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
4 tn Or “perfume,” “ointment.”
5 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.