SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:42
Y como vino una viuda pobre, ech dos centavos, que es un cuadrante.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 42. And there came a certain poor widow , etc..] Among the many that came to offer their gifts freely, there came one that was particularly taken notice of by Christ; and she was a widow, had no husband to provide for her, and was a poor one; had no substance left her by her husband to support her with; very likely she was an inhabitant of Jerusalem: and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing ; a quadrant, which was the fourth part of the Roman assis, or farthing; which seems to be much the same with the tetarthmorion of the Greeks, which is said to be, the fourth part of an obolus (the least Athenian coin), that is, two brass pieces. These mites seem to be the same with the prutas, the Jews often speak of; who say f226 , that a pruta is the eighth part of an Italian farthing; though some make it to be the sixth: hence the Syriac version here renders it, two menin, that is, eighths; and the Jerusalem Talmud expressly says f227 , that, s jnydrq twjwr p yn , two prutas make a quadrant, the very word here used: and that the Jews took the freewill offerings of the poor as well as the rich, though ever so little, is clear from this canon of theirs f228 ; a poor man that gives a pruta, or mite, into the alms dish, or a pruta into the poor's chest, they take it of him; but if he does not give, they do not oblige him to give.
Nor were they obliged to cast into the treasury; but if they did, they received it, be it less or more: and indeed, the rich might throw in as little as they pleased: as for instance; into the chest for gold, they might throw in as little as the weight of a barley corn of gold; and into the chest for frankincense, as little as the weight of a barley corn of frankincense f229 .
The Persic version here, different from all others, instead of two mites, renders it, two bottoms of thread, or yarn.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 41-44 - Let us not forget that Jesus still sees the treasury. He knows ho much, and from what motives, men give to his cause. He looks at the heart, and what our views are, in giving alms; and whether we do it a unto the Lord, or only to be seen of men. It is so rare to find any wh would not blame this widow, that we cannot expect to find many who wil do like to her; and yet our Saviour commends her, therefore we are sure that she did well and wisely. The feeble efforts of the poor to honou their Saviour, will be commended in that day, when the splendid action of unbelievers will be exposed to contempt __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ελθουσα 2064 5631 V-2AAP-NSF μια 1520 A-NSF χηρα 5503 N-NSF πτωχη 4434 A-NSF εβαλεν 906 5627 V-2AAI-3S λεπτα 3016 N-APN δυο 1417 A-NUI ο 3739 R-NSN εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S κοδραντης 2835 N-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
42. A certain (mia). Not a good translation. Lit., one as distinguished from the many rich. Better, simply the indefinite article, as Rev. Poor (ptwch). See on Matt. v. 3.Mites (lepta). From leptov, peeled, husked; and thence thin or fine. Therefore of a very small or thin coin.
Farthing (kodranthv). A Latin word, quadrans, or a quarter of a Roman as; quadrans meaning a forth, as farthing is fourthing.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
12:42 {One poor widow} (mia cera ptwce). Luke has penicra, a poetical late form of penes. In the N.T. the ptwcos is the pauper rather than the mere peasant, the extreme opposite of the rich (plousioi). The money given by most was copper (calkon). {Two mites} (duo lepta). leptos means peeled or stripped and so very thin. Two lepta were about two-fifths of a cent. {Farthing} (kodrantes, Latin _quadrans_, a quarter of an _as_).
