Mark 12:42

42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.

Mark 12:42 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 12:42

And there came a certain poor widow
Among the many that came to offer their gifts freely, there came one that was particularly taken notice of by Christ; and she was a "widow", had no husband to provide for her, and was a "poor" one; had no substance left her by her husband to support her with; very likely she was an inhabitant of Jerusalem:

and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing;
a "quadrant", which was the fourth part of the Roman assis, or farthing; which seems to be much the same with the (tetarthmorion) of the Greeks, which is said ^F7 to be,

``the fourth part of an obolus (the least Athenian coin), that is, two brass pieces.''

These mites seem to be the same with the "prutas", the Jews often speak of; who say ^F8, that a "pruta" is the eighth part of an Italian farthing; though some make it to be the sixth: hence the Syriac version here renders it, "two menin, that is, eighths"; and the Jerusalem Talmud expressly says ^F9, that, (ojnydrq twjwrp ynv) , "two prutas make a quadrant", the very word here used: and that the Jews took the freewill offerings of the poor as well as the rich, though ever so little, is clear from this canon of theirs ^F11;

``a poor man that gives a "pruta", or mite, into the alms dish, or a "pruta" into the poor's chest, they take it of him; but if he does not give, they do not oblige him to give.''

Nor were they obliged to cast into the treasury; but if they did, they received it, be it less or more: and indeed, the rich might throw in as little as they pleased: as for instance; into the chest for gold, they might throw in as little as the weight of a barley corn of gold; and into the chest for frankincense, as little as the weight of a barley corn of frankincense ^F12. The Persic version here, different from all others, instead of "two mites", renders it, "two bottoms of thread", or "yarn".

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Harpocratian. Lexic. p. 281.
F8 Misn. Kiddushin, c. 1. sect. 1. T. Hieros. Kiddushin, fol. 58. 4. T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 12. 1. Bava Metzin, fol. 44. 2. Maimon. Hilch. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 3.
F9 Kiddushi, fol. 58. 4.
F11 Maimon. Hilch. Mattanot Anayim, c. 9. sect. 19.
F12 Maimon. & Battenora in. Misn. Shekalim, c. 6. sect. 6.

Mark 12:42 In-Context

40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.

42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.

43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."