There were also women looking on afar off,.... At some distance from the cross, observing what was said and done;among whom was Mary Magdalene; who had received great favours from Christ:and Mary the mother of James the less; or "little", so called to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, and because he might be little of stature: nor was it unusual with the Jews to distinguish persons after this manner: so we read of R.
Jesa,aryez, "the little", and of Samuel, Nwjqh, "the little" , which some have thought to be the Apostle Paul, so called from the littleness of his stature:and of Joses; or "Joseph", as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read;and Salome; the mother of Zebedee's children, James and John;See Gill on "Mt 27:56".
This was a common name among the Jews; Herod had a sister and a daughter of this name; and the daughter of Herodias, who demanded the head of John, the Baptist, was of this name; and it is the same with Shalom: we read of one Imme Shalom, or mother Shalom, wife of R.
Eliezer, and sister to Rabban Gamaliel. Salome, with the Ethiopians , is said to be Mary's midwife, and to accompany Christ, with Mary, and Joseph, when they fled into Egypt. Zohar in Exod. fol. 63. 2.
& passim. T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 28. 2. & 29. 1. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 116. 1. Ludolph. Lex. Ethiop. p. 525, & Castell. Lex. Polyglot, col.