Alabaster

occurs only in the New Testament in connection with the box of "ointment of spikenard very precious," with the contents of which a woman anointed the head of Jesus as he sat at supper in the house of Simon the leper (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37). These boxes were made from a stone found near Alabastron in Egypt, and from this circumstance the Greeks gave them the name of the city where they were made. The name was then given to the stone of which they were made; and finally to all perfume vessels, of whatever material they were formed. The woman "broke" the vessel; i.e., she broke off, as was usually done, the long and narrow neck so as to reach the contents. This stone resembles marble, but is softer in its texture, and hence very easily wrought into boxes. Mark says (14:5) that this box of ointment was worth more than 300 pence, i.e., denarii, each of the value of sevenpence halfpenny of our money, and therefore worth about 10 pounds. But if we take the denarius as the day's wage of a labourer (Matt. 20:2), say two shillings of our money, then the whole would be worth about 30 pounds, so costly was Mary's offering.

You Might Also Like:

Alabaster image
Read More

Noah's Ark

Have you ever heard the story of Noah's Ark? It's a famous story from the Bible about a man named Noah who built a huge boat to save himself and the a...

Alabaster image
Read More

Tower of Babel

Have you ever heard the story of the Tower of Babel? It's a story from the Bible about a group of people who wanted to build a tower that reached all ...

Alabaster image
Read More

Ten Plagues

Have you ever heard about the Ten Plagues in the Bible? It's a fascinating story about how God showed His power to the Pharaoh of Egypt and freed the ...

Alabaster image
Read More

Ten Commandments

Have you ever heard about the Ten Commandments in the Bible? These are ten rules that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to guide the Israelites and all...

Alabaster image
Read More

12 Tribes of Israel

Have you ever heard about the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Bible? These tribes were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was later named Isr...

Alabaster image
Read More

Ministry of Jesus

Have you ever heard about the Ministry of Jesus in the Bible? Jesus was a great teacher and healer who spent three years traveling throughout Israel, ...

Alabaster image
Read More

Early Church

Have you ever heard about the Early Church in the Bible? After Jesus' death and resurrection, his followers began to spread his teachings throughout t...

Alabaster image
Read More

Abraham

Today, let's learn about one of the most important figures in the Bible, Abraham. Abraham's story is told in the book of Genesis and is considered a f...

Alabaster image
Read More

Moses

Let's learn about another important figure in the Bible, Moses. The story of Moses is told in the book of Exodus and is a central part of the history ...

Alabaster image
Read More

Joshua

Let's talk about Joshua, another important figure in the Bible. The story of Joshua is told in the book of Joshua, which follows the book of Deuterono...

Alabaster image
Read More

David

David is one of the most well-known figures in the Bible, and his story is told in several books of the Old Testament, including 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel...

Alabaster image
Read More

Solomon

Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba, and he was known for his great wisdom and wealth. When David was near death, he declared that Solomon...

Alabaster image
Read More

Jesus

Jesus is the central figure of the Christian faith, and his life and teachings have had a profound impact on the world. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to...

Alabaster image
Read More

Paul

Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, is one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. Originally, Paul was a persecutor of Christia...

Alabaster image
Read More

Israel

Israel is a land that is rich in history and culture, and it plays an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Israel was the promised land ...

Alabaster image
Read More

Egypt

Egypt is a country that is steeped in history and culture, and it plays an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Egypt is prominently fea...

Alabaster image
Read More

Assyria

Assyria was a powerful empire that played an important role in the ancient Near East and in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Assyria is known for its ...

Alabaster image
Read More

Babylon

Babylon was a great ancient city in Mesopotamia, located in what is now modern-day Iraq. It was the capital of the Babylonian Empire and is mentioned ...