Paragraph 12:4–8

This paragraph describes Judas’ reaction to what Mary had done. He said that she wasted something valuable that could have been sold and the money given to the poor. However, the truth was that he wanted to steal the money. But Jesus defended Mary. He understood that she had anointed him to prepare him for his death and burial.

12:4

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But here introduces what Judas said when he saw what Mary did. He did not approve of what she did, and so the Berean Standard Bible uses a conjunction that indicates contrast. Some translations, such as the Good News Translation, do not explicitly translate this conjunction. Introduce what Judas said in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Then (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
At this (Revised English Bible)

one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him: These phrases again introduce Judas Iscariot, who was also mentioned in 6:71. The author tells us two things about Judas in addition to his name. First, he was a disciple and second, he would betray Jesus.

Here are other ways to translate this background information:

Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
One of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot—the one who was going to betray him—(Good News Translation)
-or-
Judas Iscariot—one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him— (New Jerusalem Bible)

one of His disciples: Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples or followers. He had committed himself to Jesus as his teacher and spiritual guide. In some languages it may be natural to make the name Jesus explicit here. This is especially important in languages that do not distinguish between the pronouns His and “her.” In those languages, readers might misunderstand the pronoun to refer to Mary. For example:

One of Jesus’ disciples (Good News Translation)

disciples: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disciples refers to “learners” who are in a special relationship with a teacher. The learners commit themselves to their teacher in order to learn from him and follow his teaching and example. In the New Testament “disciple” referred specifically to a person who learned from a religious teacher. Often, disciples lived with their teacher and followed him wherever he went. See how you translated this term at 1:35.

Judas Iscariot: The full name Judas Iscariot is also mentioned in Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:19, and Luke 6:16. Refer to this disciple the same way in all these verses. The meaning of the surname Iscariot is not certain and it is best to transliterate it.

who was going to betray Him: This phrase indicates that Judas was the disciple who later betrayed Jesus to Jesus’ enemies. At the time of the story, Judas had not yet betrayed Jesus but would soon do so. (The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was going to can either mean “would” or “would soon.” Because Judas did soon betray him, either sense can be understood here.) The event was past from the point of view of the author and the original readers. Indicate this using the verb tense that is natural in your language. For example:

the one who was about to betray him (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
who was later to betray him (New International Version)

betray: The word betray refers to giving help to a person’s enemy instead of being loyal to that person. Here it refers to Judas leading Jesus’ enemies to find and capture Jesus. See how you translated this word in 6:64 and 6:71. For example:

turn against him (New Century Version)
-or-
sell Jesus to his enemies (Uma Back Translation)

asked: The word asked introduces a direct quotation. But the quotation is a question. Judas was asking everyone there a question that implied criticism of Mary. In some languages it is more natural to use another verb if you use a question in 12:5.

General Comment on 12:4

In some languages it may be natural to translate this verse as two or more separate sentences. For example:

A disciple named Judas Iscariot was there. He was the one who was going to betray Jesus, and he asked… (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
One of Jesus’ disciples was named Judas Iscariot. This was the man who would later betray Jesus to his enemies. He asked…

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