Mark 12:41–44
Jesus sees a poor widow give everything she had
Study it word by word41And 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.”
In its context
39and the first seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at the banquets,
40who devour the houses of widows and as a pretext pray long prayers. These will receive the greater condemnation.”
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Its words in the original
- καθίσαςkathisas· sit down
Sit down; also seat someone. A teacher taught sitting down.
- κατέναντιkatenanti· opposite
Opposite, across from; in front of.
- γαζοφυλακίουgazophylakiou· treasury
The offering chest, the temple treasury.
- ἐθεώρειetheōrei· see, watch
Look at, watch, observe.
- ὄχλοςochlos· crowd
Crowd, throng; the people.
- βάλλειballei· throw, put
Throw, cast; also put.
- χαλκὸνchalkon· copper, bronze
Copper, bronze; also copper coins.
- πολλοὶpolloi· much, many
Much, great; in the plural, many.
- πλούσιοιplousioi· rich
Rich; a rich person.
- ἐλθοῦσαelthousa· come, go
Come, arrive; go.
- μίαmia· one
One.
- χήραchēra· widow
Widow.
- πτωχὴptōchē· poor
Poor, having nothing and depending on others. "Poor in spirit": someone who knows he is needy before God.
- λεπτὰlepta· lepton, small coin
Lepton: the smallest coin.
- δύοdyo· two
Two.
- ἐστινestin· be
Be, exist.
- κοδράντηςkodrantēs· quadrans, penny
Quadrans: the Roman coin of least value.
- προσκαλεσάμενοςproskalesamenos· summon
Call to oneself, summon.
- μαθητὰςmathētas· disciple
Disciple: someone who learns from a teacher and follows him in order to live as he does.
- εἶπενeipen· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ἈμὴνAmēn· truly, amen
Amen: a Hebrew word meaning "so it is", "it is firm". Jesus uses it at the start of a saying to affirm what he is about to say: "truly".
- περισσεύοντοςperisseuontos· be left over, abound
Be left over, abound; exceed.
- ὑστερήσεωςhysterēseōs· need, poverty
Poverty, need.
- εἶχενeichen· have
Have, possess, hold.
- ὅλονholon· whole, all
Whole, entire, all.
- βίονbion· life, livelihood
Livelihood, means of life; also life.