41
AndΚαὶsitting downκαθίσαςoppositeκατέναντιthe treasury,τοῦ γαζοφυλακίουhe was watchingἐθεώρειhowπῶςthe crowdὁ ὄχλοςputsβάλλειcopper coinsχαλκὸνintoεἰςthe treasury.τὸ γαζοφυλάκιονAndκαὶmanyπολλοὶrich peopleπλούσιοιwere putting inἔβαλλονmuch.πολλά
Mark 12:41
Study it in the app“And sitting down opposite the treasury, he was watching how the crowd puts copper coins into the treasury. And many rich people were putting in much.”
Jesus sees a poor widow give everything she hadGenerosity and Money
With the Greek beneath
Mark 12:41, word by word
- sitting downκαθίσαςkathisas
sit down
To take a seat, often to teach, judge or reign.
Where else “kathisas” appears- oppositeκατέναντιkatenanti
opposite
Opposite, across from; in front of.
Where else “katenanti” appears- the treasuryγαζοφυλακίουgazophylakiou
treasury
The offering chest, the temple treasury.
Where else “gazophylakiou” appears- he was watchingἐθεώρειetheōrei
watch
To observe something closely.
Where else “etheōrei” appears- the crowdὄχλοςochlos
crowd
A lot of people together.
Where else “ochlos” appears- putsβάλλειballei
put
To place something somewhere.
Where else “ballei” appears- copper coinsχαλκὸνchalkon
copper coins
Pieces of reddish metal, money.
Where else “chalkon” appears- manyπολλοὶpolloi
many
A great number of people or things.
Where else “polloi” appears- rich peopleπλούσιοιplousioi
rich
Someone with many possessions.
Where else “plousioi” appears
Translation note
These were the boxes for the offerings, in the court of the temple.
Parallel passages
Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.
The widow's offering
See them side by side
Mark 12:41-44
41And sitting down opposite the treasury, he was watching how the crowd puts copper coins into the treasury. And many rich people were putting in much. 42And one poor widow came and put in two lepta, which is a quadrans. 43And summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who are putting into the treasury. 44For they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole living.”
1And looking up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. 2And he saw a certain poor widow putting in there two lepta. 3And he said, “I tell you truly that this poor widow put in more than all of them; 4for all these put in as gifts out of what was left over to them, but she, out of her poverty, put in all the living that she had.”
The context
40who devour the houses of widows and as a pretext pray long prayers. These will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 · This verse (above)
42And one poor widow came and put in two lepta, which is a quadrans.
To study Mark 12 in a group
1. What it says
What did Jesus answer about paying tribute to Caesar (vv. 15–17)?
2. What it means
Why did Jesus say the poor widow put in more than all the others (vv. 41–44)?
3. How I live it
Jesus said the first commandment is to love the Lord, and the second to love your neighbor (vv. 29–31). How will you make this concrete today?