In most translations the punctuation of this verse is similar to that of Good News Translation. That is, a break is made after Leave her alone, though it is possible on the basis of the Greek to punctuate otherwise. La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée is apparently the only modern translation that follows the alternative possibility: “Let her keep the perfume for the day of my burial.”

Let her keep what she has for the day of my burial may be interpreted in several different ways. (1) It is possible to understand the verb keep as meaning “keep in mind,” and so to translate “On the day of my burial, let her keep in mind what she has done.” (2) In Mark the parallel passage in 14.8 the meaning is obvious: “She did what she could; she poured perfume on my body to prepare it ahead of time for burial.” But it is not necessary to assume that the meaning here is the same as in Mark. If, however, the Markan meaning is seen in the present verse, then this verse may be translated “(Unknowingly) she has kept what she has done for the day of my burial.” (3) Finally, there are those who see in John a possible Aramaic origin for the Greek and so translate “Should she keep the perfume till the day of my burial?” None of these possibilities is wholly satisfactory. Arguments for an Aramaic origin are not conclusive; one cannot insist that John must have the same meaning that Mark has; and to take the verb keep in the sense of “to keep in mind” seems somewhat farfetched.

There is relatively little difficulty in translating Leave her alone! It can be rendered “Do not bother her” or “Do not make it difficult for her.” However, it is extremely difficult to know how to translate Let her keep what she has for the day of my burial, since, as already indicated, we really do not know what is meant by the Greek expression. None of the alternatives is completely satisfactory. It would be possible to translate this sentence “Let her keep what she has left so that she may use it on the day of my burial,” but this interpretation is out of keeping with the fact that Mary had already poured the ointment on Jesus’ feet. If the meaning “bear in mind” is followed, it may be possible to say “Let her bear in mind what she has done, since it was done in anticipation of the day when I would be buried.” However, it may be more satisfactory to translate in a relatively obscure way, since in the original text itself the statement is obscure, and the translator should not attempt to be clearer than the original text.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .