Strong’s Greek 5145 designates the cardinal number “three hundred.” In Scripture, round numbers of hundreds often signal completeness or decisive sufficiency. The number three hundred repeatedly appears at decisive turning points—Gideon’s remnant (Judges 7), Solomon’s gold shields (1 Kings 10:17), and the warriors of 1 Chronicles 11—all portraits of God’s ability to accomplish much with what seems numerically modest but is divinely appointed.

New Testament Usage

The term occurs twice in the Greek New Testament, both describing the market value of the pure nard poured on Jesus:

• Mark 14:5: “This perfume could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.”
• John 12:5: “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”

Here τριακοσίων modifies “denarii,” projecting an approximate year’s wage for a day-laborer (cf. Matthew 20:2). The numeral therefore heightens the lavishness of Mary’s act and the perceived wastefulness in the eyes of those who protested.

Economic and Cultural Background

A denarius represented a standard day’s pay in first-century Judea. Three hundred denarii equated to nearly an annual income once Sabbaths and feast days are excluded. The amount would sustain a poor Galilean family for many months, explaining why the disciples—most vocally Judas Iscariot (John 12:4-6)—considered the gesture extravagant. The valuation also indicates the costly nature of imported nard; such an aromatic, sealed in an alabaster jar, likely came from the Himalayan foothills and was reserved for royal anointings or burial rites.

Theological and Christological Implications

1. Unqualified Devotion

Mary’s expenditure contrasts utilitarian calculations with wholehearted worship. Jesus affirms her priority: “She has done a beautiful deed to Me” (Mark 14:6). The three-hundred-denarius figure magnifies the worthiness of Christ above material assessments.

2. Foreshadowing the Burial

The quantity and fragrance prepare His body “in advance for My burial” (Mark 14:8). The financial magnitude underscores the gravity of the impending Passion; only a costly, wholehearted offering is appropriate for the Lamb of God.

3. True Benevolence Redefined

Jesus does not dismiss ministry to the poor (“You will always have the poor with you,” Mark 14:7) but relativizes it around Himself. The numeral, far from encouraging waste, teaches that benevolence finds its highest meaning when subordinated to loving Christ first.

Patterns of Three Hundred in the Broader Canon

• Gideon’s 300 (Judges 7) illustrate salvation by divine might rather than human mass.
• Solomon’s 300 shields (1 Kings 10:17) symbolize royal splendor provided by God.
• Ben-aiah’s victory over a spectacular Egyptian with a spear, unparalleled among “the thirty,” occurs before 300 witnesses (1 Chronicles 11:23 in Septuagint tradition).

When Mary’s 300-denarii offering encounters the incarnate King, these earlier motifs converge: God delivers, reigns, and receives honor through apparently disproportionate means.

Ministry and Discipleship Application

• Sacrificial Giving. The episode challenges believers to evaluate generosity not by the ledger but by love’s measure.
• Stewardship and Priorities. Meeting temporal needs is vital, yet primary loyalty belongs to Christ; proper stewardship begins with worship.
• Discernment of Motives. Judas cloaked greed with philanthropy. The narrative warns against cynicism that hides self-interest behind pious rhetoric.

Patristic and Historical Reception

Early commentators like Origen and Augustine read the three-hundred-denarius gift allegorically: the perfume representing the whole Church’s devotion and the sum indicating fullness (three) multiplied by completeness (hundred). Medieval devotionals appealed to Mary’s act to commend costly liturgical art and missionary expenditure. Reformers cited the passage to vindicate appropriate adornment of worship spaces when motivated by Christ-honoring intent.

Summary

Strong’s 5145 marks more than a ledger entry; it preserves a moment when full-orbed devotion confronted utilitarian pragmatism. The numeral anchors the narrative in real economic terms while simultaneously evoking the biblical pattern of God’s sufficiency through select, concentrated means. Its two New Testament occurrences amplify the call to value Christ supremely, serve the needy authentically, and trust that sacrificial worship never exceeds the worth of the Savior who soon would give far more than three hundred denarii—His own life “as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).