Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, November 29th, 2025
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Mark 14:2

They said, "But we cannot arrest Jesus during the festival. We don't want the people to be angry and cause a riot."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Passover;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Rome;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Death of Christ;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Banquet;   Mark, the Gospel of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John, Gospel of;   Mss;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Arrest ;   Betrayal;   Force;   Last Supper;   Lord's Supper. (I.);   Multitude;   Pharisees (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - New Testament;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Chamber;   Passover;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Chronology of the New Testament;   Hap;   Jesus Christ, the Arrest and Trial of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”
King James Version (1611)
But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an vprore of the people.
King James Version
But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
English Standard Version
for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people."
New American Standard Bible
for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there will be a riot of the people."
New Century Version
But they said, "We must not do it during the feast, because the people might cause a riot."
Amplified Bible
but they were saying, "Not during the festival, for the people might riot."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people."
Legacy Standard Bible
for they were saying, "Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people."
Berean Standard Bible
"But not during the feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."
Contemporary English Version
They were saying, "We must not do it during the festival, because the people will riot."
Complete Jewish Bible
for they said, "Not during the festival, or the people will riot."
Darby Translation
For they said, Not in the feast, lest perhaps there be a tumult of the people.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But they sayde, Not in the feast day, least there be any tumult among the people.
George Lamsa Translation
And they said, Not during the feast, for it may cause a riot among the people.
Good News Translation
"We must not do it during the festival," they said, "or the people might riot."
Lexham English Bible
For they said, "Not at the feast, lest there be an uproar by the people."
Literal Translation
But they said, Not during the Feast, lest there will be a tumult of the people.
American Standard Version
for they said, Not during the feast, lest haply there shall be a tumult of the people.
Bible in Basic English
But they said, Not while the feast is going on, for fear there may be trouble among the people.
Hebrew Names Version
For they said, "Not during the feast, because there might be a riot of the people."
International Standard Version
For they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival, lest there be a riot among the people."
Etheridge Translation
And they said, Not on the festival, lest there be a commotion among the people.
Murdock Translation
But they said: Not on the festival, lest there be commotion among the people.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But they sayde: not in the feast day, lest any busines arise among the people.
English Revised Version
for they said, Not during the feast, lest haply there shall be a tumult of the people.
World English Bible
For they said, "Not during the feast, because there might be a riot of the people."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But they said, Not at the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people.
Weymouth's New Testament
But they said, "Not on the Festival-day, for fear there should be a riot among the people."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But thei seiden, Not in the feeste dai, lest perauenture a noyse were maad among the puple.
Update Bible Version
for they said, Not during the feast, lest perhaps there shall be a tumult of the people.
Webster's Bible Translation
But they said, Not on the feast-[day], lest there should be an uproar of the people.
New English Translation
For they said, "Not during the feast, so there won't be a riot among the people."
New King James Version
But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."
New Living Translation
"But not during the Passover celebration," they agreed, "or the people may riot."
New Life Bible
These men said, "This must not happen on the day of the special supper. The people would be against it and make much trouble."
New Revised Standard
for they said, "Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
for they were saying - Not in the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they said: Not on the festival day, lest there should be a tumult among the people.
Revised Standard Version
for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But they sayde: not in the feast daye leest eny busynes aryse amonge the people.
Young's Literal Translation
and they said, `Not in the feast, lest there shall be a tumult of the people.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But they sayde: Not in the feast daye, lest there be an vproure in the people.
Mace New Testament (1729)
but they objected, it could not be during the festival, for fear of a popular insurrection.
Simplified Cowboy Version
before the special Passover celebration, because they didn't want the people to riot.

Contextual Overview

1 It was now only two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to arrest Jesus without the people seeing it. Then they could kill him. 2 They said, "But we cannot arrest Jesus during the festival. We don't want the people to be angry and cause a riot." 3 Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. While he was eating there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. 4 Some of the followers there saw this. They were upset and complained to each other. They said, "Why waste that perfume? 5 It was worth a full year's pay. It could have been sold and the money given to those who are poor." And they told the woman what a bad thing she had done. 6 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you giving her such trouble? She did a very good thing for me. 7 You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 This woman did the only thing she could do for me. She poured perfume on my body before I die to prepare it for burial. 9 The Good News will be told to people all over the world. And I can assure you that everywhere the Good News is told, the story of what this woman did will also be told, and people will remember her." 10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to talk to the leading priests about handing Jesus over to them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Not: Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 21:30, Lamentations 3:27, Matthew 26:5

lest: Mark 11:18, Mark 11:32, Luke 20:6, John 7:40, John 12:19

Reciprocal: Matthew 14:5 - when Matthew 26:2 - know Luke 22:1 - General Luke 22:6 - in the absence of the multitude John 13:1 - the feast Acts 4:27 - the people Acts 21:31 - that all

Cross-References

Genesis 10:19
The land where the Canaanites lived went from Sidon down along the coast to Gerar and from Gaza as far east as Sodom and Gomorrah and from Admah and Zeboiim as far north as Laish.
Genesis 13:10
Lot looked and saw the whole Jordan Valley. He saw that there was much water there. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time the Jordan Valley all the way to Zoar was like the Lord 's Garden. This was good land, like the land of Egypt.)
Genesis 14:9
They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar. So there were four kings fighting against five.
Genesis 14:10
There were many holes filled with tar in the Valley of Siddim. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their armies ran away, some of the soldiers fell into these holes, but the others ran away to the mountains.
Genesis 14:20
And we praise God Most High, who helped you defeat your enemies." Abram gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything he had taken during the battle.
Deuteronomy 29:23
All the land will be useless—destroyed by burning sulfur and covered with salt. The land will have nothing planted in it. Nothing will be growing—not even weeds. The land will be destroyed like Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, the cities the Lord destroyed when he was very angry.
Deuteronomy 34:3
He showed Moses the Negev and the valley that goes from Zoar to Jericho, the city of palm trees.
1 Samuel 13:18
The second group went southeast on the road to Beth Horon, and the third group went east on the road to the border. That road looks over the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert.
Nehemiah 11:34
in Hadid, Zeboim, and Neballat,
Isaiah 15:5
My heart cries, full of sorrow for Moab. Its people run away to Zoar for safety. They run to Eglath Shelishiyah. The people are crying as they go up the road to Luhith. They are crying loudly as they walk on the road to Horonaim.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But they said not on the feast day,.... The feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread, which was nigh at hand, and would be two days hence, when there would be a great concourse of people from all parts to keep it: and therefore they did not choose to seize him, and put him to death at that time,

lest there should be an uproar of the people; or among them, lest they should rise in his favour, and rescue him out of their hands;

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 26:1-16.

Mark 14:1

And of unleavened bread - So called because at that feast no other bread was used but that which had been made without leaven or yeast.

By craft - By subtlety (Matthew); that is, by some secret plan that would secure possession of him without exciting the opposition of the people.

Mark 14:3

Ointment - This word does not convey quite the proper meaning. This was a perfume. It was used only to give a pleasant odor, and was liquid.

Of spikenard - The “nard,” from which this perfume was made, is a plant of the East Indies, with a small, slender stalk, and a heavy, thick root. The best perfume is obtained from the root, though the stalk and fruit are used for that purpose.

And she brake the box - This may mean no more than that she broke the “seal” of the box, so that it could be poured out. Boxes of perfumes are often sealed or made fast with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping. It was not likely that she would break the box itself when it was unnecessary, and when the unguent, being liquid, would have been wasted; nor from a broken box or vial could she easily have “poured it” on his head.

Mark 14:5

Three hundred pence - About forty dollars (or 9 British pounds). See the notes at Matthew 26:7.

Mark 14:8

She hath done what she could - She has showed the highest attachment in her power; and it was, as it is now, a sufficient argument against there being any “real” waste, that it was done for the honor of Christ. See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 26:1-16.


 
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