Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
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 {z} of R. Jesa,
aryez, "the little", and of Samuel, Nwjqh, "the little" {a}, 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 "Matthew 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 {b} of one Imme Shalom, or mother Shalom, wife of R. Eliezer, and sister to Rabban Gamaliel. Salome, with the Ethiopians {c}, is said to be Mary's midwife, and to accompany Christ, with Mary, and Joseph, when they fled into Egypt.
{z} Zohar in Exod. fol. 63. 2. & passim.
{a} T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 28. 2. & 29. 1.
{b} T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 116. 1.
{c} Ludolph. Lex. Ethiop. p. 525, & Castell. Lex. Polyglot, col. 3767.