Greek word · G1780

ἐνταφιασμός

entaphiasmos

burial

Preparation of a body for burial: laying it out, washing it, anointing it with oils and spices, wrapping it. Related to ἐνταφιάζω, 'prepare for burial' (John 19:40, 'as is the burial custom of the Jews'), and from ἐν + τάφος, 'in the tomb.'

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐνταφιασμός, -οῦ

(ἐνταφιάζω),

preparation for burial: Mark 14:8, John 12:7.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Mark 14:8

Range of meaning

Preparation of a body for burial: laying it out, washing it, anointing it with oils and spices, wrapping it. Related to ἐνταφιάζω, 'prepare for burial' (John 19:40, 'as is the burial custom of the Jews'), and from ἐν + τάφος, 'in the tomb.'

Against the English

KJV 'the burying,' modern versions 'burial,' NIV 'to prepare for my burial' (the most precise), YLT 'the embalming.' 'Embalming' overshoots: Jews did not embalm in the Egyptian way.

Used elsewhere in the period

In LXX Genesis 50:2–3 the related words (ἐνταφιαστής, ἐνταφιάζω) describe the Egyptian physicians who embalm Jacob. John 12:7 uses the same noun, 'the day of my preparation for burial,' and Matthew 26:12 the verb. The Mishnah (Shabbat 23:5) mentions anointing and washing a corpse as standard care for the dead.

Similar words

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 14:8 ἐνταφιασμόν. burial.

    She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial.

    Here: Not mainly the act of putting someone in a grave. It means getting a body ready for the tomb: washing, anointing with oils and spices, wrapping. Her perfume is the first step of that process, done while he is still alive.

John · 1

  1. John 12:7 ἐνταφιασμοῦ burial

    “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She has kept this perfume in preparation for the day of My burial.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.