Bible Strands
John 19:39
Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — After Joseph of Arimathea secures Pilate's permission to remove Jesus' body, Nicodemus arrives at the site to assist with the burial preparations. He joins Joseph in handling the corpse according to Jewish custom.
The words — The text highlights καὶ (kai) = also and ἐλθὼν (elthōn) = having come. These terms mark Nicodemus's deliberate arrival and his active participation alongside Joseph.
The thread — The passage recalls Nicodemus's initial nighttime visit in John 3:1 and his earlier public question in John 7:50. The myrrh and aloes he provides correspond to the spices listed in Song of Solomon 4:14.
Why it lands — The text records a previously secret follower publicly contributing seventy-five pounds of burial spices. It requires the reader to observe how a past inquiry now translates into tangible, costly support for Jesus' body.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
Cross-references
- John 7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
- Song of Solomon 4:14 with nard and saffron, with calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of frankincense tree, with myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices.
- John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 And he was buried in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier that was full of spices and various blended perfumes; then they made a great fire in his honor.
- Psalms 45:8 All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.
- Proverbs 7:17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.
- Song of Solomon 4:6 Before the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.
- Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.
- Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
- Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus.