John 19:39-41
New English Translation
39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus[a] at night,[b] accompanied Joseph,[c] carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes[d] weighing about seventy-five pounds.[e] 40 Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices,[f] in strips of linen cloth[g] according to Jewish burial customs.[h] 41 Now at the place where Jesus[i] was crucified[j] there was a garden,[k] and in the garden[l] was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.[m]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 19:39 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 19:39 sn See John 3:1-21.
- John 19:39 tn Grk “came”; the words “accompanied Joseph” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity.
- John 19:39 sn Aloes refers to an aromatic resin from a plant similar to a lily, used for embalming a corpse.
- John 19:39 sn The Roman pound (λίτρα, litra) weighed twelve ounces or 325 grams. Thus 100 Roman pounds would be about 32.5 kilograms or 75 pounds.
- John 19:40 tn On this term see BDAG 140-41 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these materials were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition.
- John 19:40 tn The Fourth Gospel uses ὀθονίοις (othoniois) to describe the wrappings, and this has caused a good deal of debate, since it appears to contradict the synoptic accounts which mention a σινδών (sindōn), a large single piece of linen cloth. If one understands ὀθονίοις to refer to smaller strips of cloth, like bandages, there would be a difference, but diminutive forms have often lost their diminutive force in Koine Greek (BDF §111.3), so there may not be any difference. Also, Luke uses both terms to refer to the wrappings, which suggests they are interchangeable in some contexts at least (Luke 23:53; 24:12).
- John 19:40 tn Grk “cloth as is the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial.”
- John 19:41 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- John 19:41 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
- John 19:41 tn Or “an orchard.”
- John 19:41 tn Or “orchard.”
- John 19:41 tn Grk “been placed.”
John 19:39-41
New International Version
39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus,(A) the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[a] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.(B) This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.(C) 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
Footnotes
- John 19:39 Or about 34 kilograms
John 19:39-41
King James Version
39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
Read full chapter
John 19:39-41
English Standard Version
39 (A)Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[a] by night, came (B)bringing a mixture of (C)myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[b] in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and (D)bound it in (E)linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a (F)garden, and (G)in the garden a new tomb (H)in which no one had yet been laid.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 19:39 Greek him
- John 19:39 Greek one hundred litras; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.