15:42 Now 1 when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 2 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council, 3 who was himself looking forward to 4 the kingdom of God, 5 went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 6
23:50 Now 7 there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council, 8 a good and righteous man. 23:51 (He 9 had not consented 10 to their plan and action.) He 11 was from the Judean town 12 of Arimathea, and was looking forward to 13 the kingdom of God. 14
19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders 15 ), 16 asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate 17 gave him permission, so he went and took the body away. 18 19:39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus 19 at night, 20 accompanied Joseph, 21 carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes 22 weighing about seventy-five pounds. 23 19:40 Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices, 24 in strips of linen cloth 25 according to Jewish burial customs. 26 19:41 Now at the place where Jesus 27 was crucified 28 there was a garden, 29 and in the garden 30 was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried. 31 19:42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation 32 and the tomb was nearby, 33 they placed Jesus’ body there.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic and introduction of a new character.
2 sn The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.
3 tn Grk “a councillor” (as a member of the Sanhedrin, see L&N 11.85). This indicates that some individuals among the leaders did respond to Jesus.
4 tn Or “waiting for.”
5 sn Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, this remark that he was looking forward to the kingdom of God and his actions regarding Jesus’ burial suggest otherwise.
6 sn Asking for the body of Jesus was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Luke 23:51). He did this because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial.
7 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
8 tn Grk “a councillor” (as a member of the Sanhedrin, see L&N 11.85). This indicates that some individuals among the leaders did respond to Jesus.
9 tn Grk “This one.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
10 tc Several
11 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
12 tn Or “Judean city”; Grk “from Arimathea, a city of the Jews.” Here the expression “of the Jews” (᾿Iουδαίων, Ioudaiwn) is used in an adjectival sense to specify a location (cf. BDAG 478 s.v. ᾿Iουδαῖος 2.c) and so has been translated “Judean.”
13 tn Or “waiting for.”
14 sn Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, this remark that he was looking forward to the kingdom of God, the affirmation of his character at the end of v. 50, and his actions regarding Jesus’ burial all suggest otherwise.
15 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees (see John 12:42). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.
16 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
17 tn Grk “And Pilate.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
18 tn Grk “took away his body.”
19 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 sn See John 3:1-21.
21 tn Grk “came”; the words “accompanied Joseph” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity.
22 sn Aloes refers to an aromatic resin from a plant similar to a lily, used for embalming a corpse.
23 sn The Roman pound (λίτρα, litra) weighed twelve ounces or 325 grams. Thus 100 Roman pounds would be about 32.5 kilograms or 75 pounds.
24 tn On this term see BDAG 140-41 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these materials were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition.
25 tn The Fourth Gospel uses ὀθονίοις (oqonioi") to describe the wrappings, and this has caused a good deal of debate, since it appears to contradict the synoptic accounts which mention a σινδών (sindwn), a large single piece of linen cloth. If one understands ὀθονίοις to refer to smaller strips of cloth, like bandages, there would be a difference, but diminutive forms have often lost their diminutive force in Koine Greek (BDF §111.3), so there may not be any difference.
26 tn Grk “cloth as is the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial.”
27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.
29 tn Or “an orchard.”
30 tn Or “orchard.”
31 tn Grk “been placed.”
32 sn The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.
33 sn The tomb was nearby. The Passover and the Sabbath would begin at 6 p.m., so those who had come to prepare and bury the body could not afford to waste time.