Exegesis:
diagenomenou tou sabbatou ‘the sabbath having passed’: this would be any time after 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, when the first day of the week would begin. In the context, it would have been Saturday evening when the women bought the spices.
diaginomai (only here in Mark) ‘to go through’: of time, ‘to pass,’ ‘to elapse.’
For Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James cf. 15.40.
ēgorasan (cf. 6.36) ‘they bought.’
arōmata (only here in Mark) ‘spices,’ ‘aromatic oils (or, ‘salves’)’: used in the Jewish practice of anointing the dead, for burial.
aleipsōsin (cf. 6.13; cf. murizō in 14.8) ‘they might anoint’: it is to be noticed that this is an anointing, and not the (Egyptian) art of embalming. Therefore Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale pour embaumer and O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada para … embalsamá-lo may be misleading.
Translation:
The phrase and Salome may require a transposition in order to avoid the meaning of Mary being the mother of both James and Salome, e.g. ‘Mary from Magdala, Salome, and Mary the mother of James.’
Spices must not be translated in such a way as to refer only to spices used as condiments, a not infrequent error. In Tzeltal the proper equivalent is ‘fragrant medicines,’ in which ‘medicines’ is a general term for any kind of ointment or salve, regardless of its function. In Navajo, the only phrase which may be employed is ‘herbs for anointing,’ in which ‘herbs’ covers all types of substances derived from plants. In Amganad Ifugao a descriptive equivalent is ‘sweet-smelling things.’
Evidently the buying of the spices took place in the evening after the sabbath had ended at sundown, but the actual going to the tomb was early the following morning.
Anoint him is ‘anoint his body’ in many languages; otherwise there is an implicit reference to Jesus as still living.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .