Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 26]
point which the rest endorsed. Mark explains that they mentioned
"three hundred pence," while Matthew (26:9) only says "for
much" (\pollou\).
26:10 {Why trouble ye the woman?} (\ti kopous parechete t•i
gunaiki?\) A phrase not common in Greek writers, though two
examples occur in the papyri for giving trouble. \Kopos\ is from
\kopt•\, to beat, smite, cut. It is a beating, trouble, and often
work, toil. Jesus champions Mary's act with this striking phrase.
It is so hard for some people to allow others liberty for their
own personalities to express themselves. It is easy to raise
small objections to what we do not like and do not understand. {A
good work upon me} (\ergon kalon eis eme\). A beautiful deed upon
Jesus himself.
26:12 {To prepare me for burial} (\pros to entaphiasai me\). Mary
alone had understood what Jesus had repeatedly said about his
approaching death. The disciples were so wrapped up in their own
notions of a political kingdom that they failed utterly to
sympathize with Jesus as he faced the cross. But Mary with the
woman's fine intuitions did begin to understand and this was her
way of expressing her high emotions and loyalty. The word here is
the same used in Joh 19:40 about what Joseph of Arimathea and
Nicodemus did for the body of Jesus before burial with the
addition of \pros to\ showing the purpose of Mary (the infinitive
of purpose). Mary was vindicated by Jesus and her noble deed has
become a "memorial of her" (\eis mn•mosumon aut•s\) as well as of
Jesus.
26:15 {What are ye willing to give me?} (\ti thelete moi
dounai?\) This "brings out the _chaffering_ aspect of the
transaction" (Vincent). "Mary and Judas extreme opposites: she
freely spending in love, he willing to sell his Master for money"
(Bruce). And her act of love provoked Judas to his despicable
deed, this rebuke of Jesus added to all the rest. {And I will
deliver him unto you} (\kag• h–min parad•s• auton\). The use of
\kai\ with a co-ordinate clause is a colloquialism (common in the
_Koin•_ as in the Hebrew use of _wav_. "A colloquialism or a
Hebraism, the traitor mean in style as in spirit" (Bruce). The
use of \eg•\ seems to mean "I though one of his disciples will
hand him over to you if you give me enough." {They weighed unto
him} (\hoi de est•san auto\). They placed the money in the
balances or scales. "Coined money was in use, but the shekels may
have been weighed out in antique fashion by men careful to do an
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