Mark 12:42

Poor. Gr. ptōchos, “[one] in extreme want,” or “lacking in anything.” Luke uses penichros, a poetical late form of penēs, meaning one who lives a hand-to-mouth existence and who must labor each day in order to have something to eat the next (see Luke 21:2). Penēs is from the verb penomai, “to work for a living.” Perhaps Jesus intended the spirit of this widow to stand forth in bold contrast with the attitude of the Pharisees toward widows. The poverty of this widow may have been due, in part, to the avarice of some of the scribes and Pharisees present upon this occasion (see on Matt. 23:14). They, said Christ, “devour widows’ houses” (Mark 12:40). But here was a widow who, from a heart overflowing with love for God, “cast in all that she had, even all her living” (v. 44). What a contrast!

Mites. Gr. lepton, a coin worth a fraction of one cent U.S. (see p. 49). The lepton was the smallest Jewish copper coin in circulation.

Farthing. Gr. kodrantēs, which equaled 2 lepta, or “mites” (see p. 49), and which amounted to 1/64 of a Roman denarius, a day’s wage in the time of Christ (see on Matt. 20:2). Repeated emphasis has often been laid on the intrinsic smallness of the widow’s gift. Should not more emphasis be placed on the comparative largeness of the gift (see on v. 44)?