| Matthew 28:2 | |
|---|---|
← 28:1 28:3 → | |
 Benjamin West's The Angel at the Tomb of Christ. | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 28:2 is the second verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" were approaching Jesus' tomb after the crucifixion, when an earthquake occurred and an angel appeared.
The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible, this verse is translated as:
The modern World English Bible translates the passage as:
Scholars accept that this verse is a reworking of Mark 16:5. In Mark it is implied that the "young man" is an angel or something similar, but this verse makes this explicit. [1] The verse strives to make the events as dramatic as possible: Greek : ιδου (idou, "behold") shows that something important is about to follow. It also adds "a great earthquake" (Greek : σεισμος εγενετο μεγας, seismos egeneto megas) and a dramatic descent from heaven. Francis Beare sees this as a haggadic expansion upon Mark, and argues that no source beyond Mark is needed to explain where this passage originates. [2]
There are many parallels in this verse to earlier events in Matthew. "Angels of the Lord" play an important role in the infancy narrative, appearing at Matthew 1:20, 1:24, 2:13 and 2:19. [3] That an angel appears again at the end of the story links it back to the opening chapters. [4] "Coming down from heaven" parallels the wording of Matthew 3:16, the climax of the baptism scene. [4] An earthquake had also earlier occurred at Matthew 27:51, marking the moment of Jesus' death. [3] Jesus predicts earthquakes as a sign of the end times at Matthew 24:7, and earthquakes are also a common occurrence in the Book of Revelation. [5] W D Davies and Dale Allison thus see the earthquake in this verse also having eschatological significance. [6] Since an earthquake marked Jesus' death, Gundry suggests that this one is marking the exact moment of the resurrection. [3]
Matthew is the only gospel which describes how the stone was moved. In Mark 16:3, the women had worried about how they were to move the stone to anoint the body. In Matthew, there was no need to enter the tomb, and in his version this is not mentioned as a concern of the women. [3] Why the stone is moved is not directly answered. Gundry suggests that as the earthquake marks the moment of the resurrection, the moving of the stone was to allow Jesus' to exit the tomb, though he might have exited invisibly as no one is reported to have observed him at this time. [7] Peter Chrysologus and John Chrysostom offer a different view, arguing that Jesus had no need for the door to be open to leave. Rather they, and many modern scholars, believe that the stone was rolled away so that the women and other witnesses could see that the tomb was now empty providing concrete evidence for the resurrection. [8]
Some commentators consider this verse to be unclear as to whether the women introduced in the previous verse were present for these events, or only come upon the tomb later. Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer criticized the argument of Sebastian Castellio, Kuinoel, Kern and Ebrard that the earthquake had happened when the women arrived, arguing himself that the event took place in their presence. [9] Among modern writers, Davies and Allison argue that since the women were just introduced, it is implied that they were eyewitnesses to these events. Though other commentators disagree. [6] In the apocryphal Gospel of Peter the events are further elaborated upon and there are witnesses to the resurrection itself. [10]
The angel sits upon the stone outside of the tomb. This conflicts with the other gospels which have the angel, or angels, inside the tomb. Those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible have proposed a number of explanations to account for this. St. Augustine suggested that there could be two sets of angels. One outside the tomb and two inside the tomb. The women first talk to the angel outside, and then the angel inside. Only Matthew mentions the first conversation, while the other gospels only mention the second. Alternatively Augustine writes that by inside the tomb Mark and the other writers are referring to being inside an outer tomb enclosure, such as a wall around the area. Thus the same angels can be described as being both inside the tomb, and sitting on a stone outside it. [8]
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this verse are:
Mark 16 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Christopher Tuckett refers to it as a "sequel to the story of Jesus' death and burial". The chapter begins after the sabbath has ended, with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchasing spices to bring to the tomb next morning to anoint Jesus' body. There they encounter the stone rolled away, the tomb open, and a young man dressed in white who announces the resurrection of Jesus. The two oldest manuscripts of Mark 16 conclude with verse 8, which ends with the women fleeing from the empty tomb, and saying "nothing to anyone, because they were too frightened".
Matthew 1:20 is the twentieth verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Previously Joseph had found Mary to be pregnant and had considered leaving her. In this verse an angel comes to him in a dream and reassures him.
Matthew 2:13 is the thirteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi have left after paying homage to the young Jesus. In this verse an angel warns Joseph that he must flee.
Matthew 28 is the twenty-eighth and final chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This chapter records that Jesus is risen, describes the actions of the first witnesses to this event, and ends with the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:1 is the first verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the resurrection narrative as Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" visit Jesus' tomb after the crucifixion.
Matthew 28:3 is the third verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative and describes the angel who arrived at the tomb of Jesus in the previous verse.
Matthew 28:4 is the fourth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative; describing the reaction of the tomb guards after the arrival of the angel of the Lord and the occurrence of an earthquake that opened the tomb.
Matthew 28:5–6 are the fifth and sixth verses of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Both verses form part of the resurrection narrative. An angel has appeared at the empty tomb and now gives instructions to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary".
Matthew 28:7 is the seventh verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. An angel has appeared at the empty tomb and in this verse he continues his instructions to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary".
Matthew 28:8 is the eighth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" had just encountered an angel who has appeared at the empty tomb of Jesus, and in this verse they leave to bear the angel's message.
Matthew 28:9 is the ninth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" are leaving the empty tomb of Jesus after encountering an angel, and in this verse they encounter the risen Jesus.
Matthew 28:10 is the tenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. Having left the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" are on their way to meet the other disciples, when Jesus meets with them. In this verse the risen Jesus speaks with them.
Matthew 28:11 is the eleventh verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. In this verse some of the guards at the tomb return to Jerusalem to report to the chief priests.
Matthew 28:12 is the twelfth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. In this verse the guards of the tomb, after being present for an angel hearkening the resurrection, are bribed by the priests to lie about what they saw.
Matthew 27:61 is the sixty-first verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse describes two women waiting by the Tomb of Jesus after the crucifixion.
Matthew 27:60 is the sixtieth verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse describes the Entombment of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion.
Matthew 27:55–56 are the fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh verses of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The crucifixion and death of Jesus have just occurred, and these verses make note of a group of women who were present at that event.
Matthew 27:53 is the fifty-third verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse describes some of the events that occurred upon the death of Jesus. The previous verse mentioned that tombs broke open and the saints inside were resurrected. In this verse, the saints descend upon the Holy City.
Matthew 8:2 is the second verse of the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse begins the miracle story of Jesus cleansing a leper, the first of a series of miracles in Matthew.
Matthew 8:24 is the 24th verse in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
| Preceded by Matthew 28:1 | Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 | Succeeded by Matthew 28:3 |