John 11:2 (YLT)

Passage

and it was Mary who did anoint the Lord with ointment, and did wipe his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ailing--

Nearby Context

John 11:1 And there was a certain one ailing, Lazarus, from Bethany, of the village of Mary and Martha her sister--

John 11:2 and it was Mary who did anoint the Lord with ointment, and did wipe his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ailing--

John 11:3 therefore sent the sisters unto him, saying, `Sir, lo, he whom thou dost love is ailing;'

John 11:4 and Jesus having heard, said, `This ailment is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mary", "anoint", "lord", "ointment", "wipe", "feet", "hair", and "whose". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mary" and "anoint", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "And there was a certain one ailing..." into verse 3's "therefore sent the sisters unto him saying...", so "mary" and "anoint" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mary" and "anoint" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.