Greek word · G3046

λίτρα

litra

pound

The Greek form of the Roman libra, a unit of weight of about 327 g (roughly 11½ oz), lighter than the modern pound of 454 g.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

λίτρα, -ας, ἡ

(cf. Lat. libra),

1. a Sicilian coin = Rom. libra or as.

2. In weight, a pound: John 12:3 19:39.†

(AS)

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

Range of meaning: The Greek form of the Roman libra, a unit of weight of about 327 g (roughly 11½ oz), lighter than the modern pound of 454 g.
Against the English: KJV/WEB/YLT 'pound' is the right kind of unit but slightly overstates the amount to modern readers. BSB/NIV 'about a pint' converts weight into volume, which is a reasonable estimate but hides the unit. NLT's 'twelve-ounce' is close.
How it drifted: Modern pounds and pints are different measures from the Roman pound.
Used elsewhere in the period: Common in Greek of the Roman period for weights of metals and goods. In the New Testament it appears only in John 12:3 and 19:39.

Range of meaning: A Greek loanword from the Latin libra, the Roman pound of about 327 g (11½ oz). As a weight it was used for precious goods such as oils, perfumes and spices.
Against the English: The KJV's "an hundred pound" makes modern readers picture 100 lb (about 45 kg), roughly a third too much. The WEB ("a hundred Roman pounds") keeps the unit. The BSB, NIV, ESV and NLT convert it to "seventy-five pounds", which gives the right weight but loses the round number "a hundred" and the link to John 12:3.
How it drifted: English "pound" was the natural word for a weight unit in 1611. Over time the reader's mental unit (the avoirdupois pound, about 454 g) became heavier than the Roman one.
Used elsewhere in the period: Common in papyri and inscriptions as a measure of weight. In the New Testament it appears only in John: 12:3 (Mary's litra of costly nard, "kept for the day of my burial", 12:7) and here.

John · 2

John 12:3 λίτραν a litra

Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Here: A Roman pound by weight, about 327 grams (roughly 11½ oz). That is a lavish amount of concentrated perfume. The same unit returns in 19:39, where Nicodemus brings a hundred litrai of spices for Jesus' burial.
John 19:39 λίτρας litras

Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

Here: The Roman pound (libra), about 327 grams or 11½ ounces. The word occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only at John 12:3, where Mary pours out one litra of nard.

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