Matthew 1:21

1:21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him ¹  Jesus, ²  because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 2:18

2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud wailing, ³ 

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she did not want to be comforted, because they were ⁴  gone.” ⁵ 

Matthew 15:23

15:23 But he did not answer her a word. Then ⁶  his disciples came and begged him, ⁷  “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.”

Matthew 20:20

A Request for James and John

20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor. ⁸ 

Matthew 26:7

26:7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar ⁹  of expensive perfumed oil, ¹⁰  and she poured it on his head as he was at the table. ¹¹ 

Matthew 26:10

26:10 When ¹²  Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She ¹³  has done a good service for me.

Matthew 26:13

26:13 I tell you the truth, ¹⁴  wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

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¹ tn Grk “you will call his name.”

² sn The Greek form of the name Ihsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). It was a fairly common name among Jews in 1st century Palestine, as references to a number of people by this name in the LXX and Josephus indicate.

³ tc The LXX of Jer 38:15 (31:15 ET) has “lamentation, weeping, and loud wailing”; most later mss (C D L W 0233 ˹³ 33 Ï) have a quotation in Matthew which conforms to that of the LXX (θρῆνος καὶ κλαυθμός καὶ ὀδυρμός; qrhno" kai klauqmo" kai odurmo"). But such assimilations were routine among the scribes; as such, they typically should be discounted because they are both predictable and motivated. The shorter reading, without “lamentation and,” is thus to be preferred, especially since it cannot easily be accounted for unless it is the original wording here. Further, it is found in the better mss along with a good cross-section of other witnesses (א B Z 0250 ˹ pc lat co).

⁴ tn Grk “are”; the Greek text uses a present tense verb.

⁵ sn A quotation from Jer 31:15.

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

⁷ tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁸ tn Grk “asked something from him.”

⁹ sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

¹⁰ tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205).

sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This perfumed oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.

¹¹ tn Grk “as he was reclining at table.”

sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹³ tn Grk “For she.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”