John 19:39–42

19:39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus111 at night,112 accompanied Joseph,113 carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes114 weighing about seventy-five pounds.115 19:40 Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices,116 in strips of linen cloth117 according to Jewish burial customs.118 19:41 Now at the place where Jesus119 was crucified120 there was a garden,121 and in the garden122 was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.123 19:42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation124 and the tomb was nearby,125 they placed Jesus’ body there.

111	tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
112	* Jn 3:1–21
113	tn Grk “came”; the words “accompanied Joseph” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity.
114	sn Aloes refers to an aromatic resin from a plant similar to a lily, used for embalming a corpse.
115	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.
116	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.
117	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.
118	tn Grk “cloth as is the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial.”
119	tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
120	sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
121	tn Or “an orchard.”
122	tn Or “orchard.”
123	tn Grk “been placed.”
124	sn The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.
125	sn The tomb was nearby. The Passover and the Sabbath would begin at 6 p.m., so those who had come to prepare and bury the body could not afford to waste time.