Genesis 18:2

18:2 Abraham ¹  looked up ²  and saw ³  three men standing across ⁴  from him. When he saw them ⁵  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ⁶  to the ground. ⁷ 

Matthew 28:2-6

28:2 Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord ⁸  descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. 28:3 His ⁹  appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 28:4 The ¹⁰  guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him. 28:5 But the angel said ¹¹  to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know ¹²  that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ¹³  28:6 He is not here, for he has been raised, ¹⁴  just as he said. Come and see the place where he ¹⁵  was lying.

Mark 16:5

16:5 Then ¹⁶  as they went into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe ¹⁷  sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

John 20:11-12

20:11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. 20:12 And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet.

Acts 1:10

1:10 As ¹⁸  they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly ¹⁹  two men in white clothing stood near them

Mark 16:2

16:2 And very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

³ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.

⁴ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

⁵ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

⁶ tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).

⁷ sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

⁸ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹¹ tn Grk “But answering, the angel said.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

¹² tn Grk “for I know.”

¹³ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

¹⁴ tn The verb here is passive (ἠγέρθη, hgerqh). This “divine passive” (see ExSyn 437-38) points to the fact that Jesus was raised by God.

¹⁵ tc Expansions on the text, especially when the Lord is the subject, are a common scribal activity. In this instance, since the subject is embedded in the verb, three major variants have emerged to make the subject explicit: ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”; A C D L W 0148 Ë^1,13 Ï lat), τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κυρίου (to swma tou kuriou, “the body of the Lord”; 1424 pc), and ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (Jo Ihsou", “Jesus”; Φ). The reading with no explicit subject, however, is superior on both internal and external grounds, being supported by א B Θ 33 892* pc co.

¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹⁷ sn Mark does not explicitly identify the young man dressed in a white robe as an angel (though the white robe suggests this), but Matthew does (Matt 28:2).

¹⁸ tn Grk “And as.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

¹⁹ tn Grk “behold.”