There is a problem related to the number of women mentioned by John. Are there two, three, or four? It is grammatically possible to assume that only two women are mentioned, if one understands Mary the wife of Clopas to be in apposition with his mother and Mary Magdalene to be in apposition with his mother’s sister. But it is not likely that John would have identified the mother of Jesus as “Mary the wife of Clopas,” and it seems improbable, though not impossible, that two sisters would both be named Mary. It is also possible to understand the list as consisting of three women: (1) Jesus’ mother, (2) his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and (3) Mary Magdalene. However, one is still faced with the problem of having two sisters named Mary. Most translators take the list to include four women, and this interpretation accords most naturally with the Greek structure. Nothing else is known of Mary, the wife of Clopas, though it is possible that this Clopas should be identified with the one mentioned in Luke 24.18. Mary Magdalene has not been mentioned previously in John’s Gospel, but she will appear again as the first witness to the empty tomb and the resurrected Lord (20.1-2,11-18). She is mentioned also in Matthew 27.56,61; 28.1; Mark 15.40,47; 16.1; and Luke 8.2; 24.10.

In most languages it is natural to introduce the four women in a typical subject position. In English this would be “his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing close to Jesus’ cross” or “… to the cross on which Jesus was crucified.” It may be essential to avoid a possessive construction in speaking of the cross. Obviously Jesus did not possess the cross; it was simply the instrument used for his execution.

In some languages it is necessary to translate his mother’s sister with a specific term, such as “his aunt,” for which there are often two distinct words, one indicating a mother’s sister and the other a father’s sister. A literal translation of his mother’s sister might suggest that Jesus was estranged from his aunt.

Mary Magdalene may be rendered “Mary from Magdala,” since Magdalene indicates a place of origin or residence.

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 .