John 19:39
ESV
Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.
NIV
He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
NASB
Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred litras weight.
CSB
Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes.
NLT
With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes.
KJV
And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
NKJV
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
What does John 19:39 mean?
Nicodemus is the only person associated with the Jewish religious leaders who seems to have been open about His views. He visited Jesus in private (John 3:1–2), but also spoke up in Jesus' defense among his peers (John 7:51). Here, he joins with another council member, Joseph, who has gotten permission to take Jesus' body for burial (John 19:38). It's almost certain that the group who condemned Jesus to death in a sham trial deliberately excluded men like these (Matthew 26:57–59; Luke 23:50–51).Nicodemus brings along common burial materials. Rather than remove organs or embalm a body, Jewish people typically covered the corpse in perfumes to allow a controlled, natural decay. The original Greek of this verse lists these as totaling 100 litras, with each litra being just under 330 grams. This represents roughly 75 modern pounds, or 33 kilograms.
Nicodemus and Joseph have little time to bury Jesus (John 19:31). Fortunately, Joseph's own personal tomb (Matthew 27:59) is close by (John 19:41) and has been recently completed.
John 19:38–42 describes Jesus' hasty burial. A member of the Jewish leadership and secret follower of Jesus, Joseph, gets permission to bury Jesus. He works with Nicodemus, who has also been secretive about his faith. They quickly wrap Jesus in grave cloths and place Him in a borrowed tomb. Parallel passages are Matthew 27:57–61, Mark 15:42–47, and Luke 23:50–56.
Pilate recognizes Jesus' innocence, but fears the mob assembled by Jewish religious leaders. He attempts to satisfy them by having Jesus viciously whipped and mocked. This only results in more cries for Jesus' death. The governor then shifts to protect his own reputation, ordering Jesus to be crucified on a charge of being "King of the Jews." John is directly present as Jesus is executed. He notes the fulfillment of several prophecies as Jesus dies. Once He is confirmed to be dead, Jesus' body is taken by two friendly members of the ruling council. They hastily bury Him in the borrowed crypt of a rich man.
