Greek word · G3094

Μαγδαληνή

magdalēnē

Magdalene

"Of Magdala", a description based on where a person came from. Magdala comes from Hebrew/Aramaic migdal, "tower". It is usually identified with Migdal on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, a prosperous fish-processing town.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Μαγδαληνός, -ά, όν

Magdalene, of Magdala: Μαρία (which see) ἡ MM., Matthew 27:56, 61 28:1, Mark 15:40, 47 16:1, 9, Luke 8:2 24:10, John 19:25 20:1, 18†

(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 John 20:18

Range of meaning

"Of Magdala", a description based on where a person came from. Magdala comes from Hebrew/Aramaic migdal, "tower". It is usually identified with Migdal on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, a prosperous fish-processing town. It may be the town Josephus calls Taricheae, though that identification is debated.

Against the English

In English, "magdalen" came to mean a reformed prostitute (as in the "Magdalene asylums"), and "maudlin" (tearfully sentimental) comes from her name. Neither sense comes from the Greek.

How it drifted

In a sermon of AD 591 (Homily 33), Gregory the Great identified Mary Magdalene with the unnamed "sinful woman" of Luke 7:36–50 and with Mary of Bethany. Western art and piety followed him for over a thousand years. The Eastern churches never made that identification, and the Roman Catholic calendar dropped it in 1969.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 8:2–3 introduces her as a woman from whom "seven demons had gone out", which means healing from severe affliction, not sexual sin. Luke also lists her among the women who supported Jesus' mission "out of their own means". All four Gospels place her at the cross and at the tomb. Excavations at Migdal since 2009 have uncovered a first-century synagogue.

From the study of John 19:25

Range of meaning

An adjective from a place-name: 'of Magdala'. Magdala comes from Hebrew/Aramaic migdal, 'tower'. It is probably the town later called Migdal Nunayya ('fish tower') and known in Greek as Taricheae ('salted-fish works'), on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Against the English

English 'Magdalene' reads like a surname. In Greek it is a hometown label that tells one Mary from the many others.

How it drifted

The Western church later merged Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman of Luke 7 and with Mary of Bethany, most influentially in Pope Gregory the Great's Homily 33 (AD 591). That produced the 'penitent prostitute' figure. Nothing in John or the other Gospels supports it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 8:2 calls her one from whom 'seven demons had gone out' and lists her among the women who supported Jesus' mission. Excavations at Migdal since 2009 have uncovered a first-century synagogue and a fishing-town economy.

From the study of Matthew 28:1

Range of meaning

A word saying where someone comes from: 'of Magdala'. Magdala (Migdal, possibly also known by the Greek name Taricheae) was a prosperous fish-processing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Against the English

English 'Magdalene' can sound like a surname or, through later tradition, like a label for a repentant prostitute.

How it drifted

The identification of Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman of Luke 7 goes back to a sermon by Gregory the Great in AD 591, not to the Gospels.

Used elsewhere in the period

Archaeologists excavated a first-century synagogue at Magdala in 2009. Luke 8:2–3 names Mary Magdalene among women who supported Jesus out of their own means.

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

  1. Matthew 27:56 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

    Here: "The one from Magdala", a fishing town on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is her first appearance in Matthew, and her town is all he tells us about her.

  2. Matthew 27:61 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

  3. Matthew 28:1 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

    Here: 'The woman from Magdala', a fishing town on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee (from Aramaic migdal, 'tower'). It names where she came from. It is not a surname and says nothing about her past.

Mark · 3

  1. Mark 15:40 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

    Here: A place-adjective meaning "from Magdala", the fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It says nothing about her character or past. It is also notable that she is identified by her town and not by a husband or son.

  2. Mark 15:47 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.

    Here: A place-name tag meaning 'from Magdala', a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is not a surname and says nothing about her morals or past.

  3. Mark 16:1 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus.

    Here: "The woman from Magdala." Magdala was a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is a place-name used as a label, not a comment on her character.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:2 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

    Here: "The Magdalene", that is, the woman from Magdala, a fishing town on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is a hometown label, not a title or a description of her character.

  2. Luke 24:10 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

    Here: A label from her hometown: the Mary from Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is not a surname and it says nothing about her moral past.

John · 3

  1. John 19:25 Μαγδαληνή.¶ Magdalene.

    Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.

    Here: A place-name, not a surname: 'the woman from Magdala', a fishing town on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. In John she is the first witness of the empty tomb and the risen Jesus (20:1–18).

  2. John 20:1 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

    Here: Says where she came from, Magdala (Aramaic Migdal, 'tower'), a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It names her hometown. It says nothing about her morals.

  3. John 20:18 Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene

    Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.

    Here: A place-name label meaning "the woman from Magdala", a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It says nothing about her morals or past.

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