The Meaning of Mark 12:44 Explained

Mark 12:44

KJV: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

YLT: for all, out of their abundance, put in, but she, out of her want, all that she had put in -- all her living.'

Darby: for all have cast in of that which they had in abundance, but she of her destitution has cast in all that she had, the whole of her living.

ASV: for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For  all  [they] did cast in  of  their  abundance;  but  she  of  her  want  did cast in  all  that  she had,  [even] all  her  living. 

What does Mark 12:44 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 12:28-44 - The First Commandment
To the young ruler our Lord named one command as great-the love of one's neighbor. Now, in answer to this scribe, he turned with unerring choice, first to Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and then to Leviticus 19:18, for the two pillars on which the collective and individual life of man must rest. The reverent answer of the scribe proves that he was no ordinary questioner; and our Lord acknowledged this when He told him that a few steps more would bring him into the kingdom of God. Our Lord was David's son by human descent, but as Son of God, proceeding from the Father, He is exalted far above David and all mankind.
In terrible words, Mark 12:38-40, Christ denounced the moral and religious leaders of the time. They made a pretense and a gain of their religion. How great the contrast between them and this poor widow, who cast into God's treasury all that she had to provide for her day's living! Our Lord is quick to notice acts like these, which give evidence of the true heart. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 12

1  Jesus tells the parable of the tenants
13  He avoids the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar;
18  convicts the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection;
28  resolves the scribe, who questioned of the first commandment;
35  refutes the opinion that the scribes held of the Christ;
38  bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hypocrisy;
41  and commends the poor widow for her two mites, above all

What do the individual words in Mark 12:44 mean?

All for out of that which was abounding to them cast [in] she however the poverty of her all as much as she had cast [in] all the livelihood
πάντες γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύοντος αὐτοῖς ἔβαλον αὕτη δὲ τῆς ὑστερήσεως αὐτῆς πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν ἔβαλεν ὅλον τὸν βίον

ἐκ  out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
τοῦ  that  which 
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
περισσεύοντος  was  abounding 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: περισσεύω  
Sense: to exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over and above a certain number or measure.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἔβαλον  cast  [in] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: βάλλω 
Sense: to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls.
αὕτη  she 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ὑστερήσεως  poverty 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ὑστέρησις  
Sense: want, poverty.
αὐτῆς  of  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ὅσα  as  much  as 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ὅσος  
Sense: as great as, as far as, how much, how many, whoever.
εἶχεν  she  had 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἔχω  
Sense: to have, i.e. to hold.
ἔβαλεν  cast  [in] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: βάλλω 
Sense: to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls.
βίον  livelihood 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: βίος  
Sense: life.