Mark 15:44-46

15:44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He ¹  called the centurion and asked him if he had been dead for some time. 15:45 When Pilate ²  was informed by the centurion, ³  he gave the body to Joseph. 15:46 After Joseph ⁴  bought a linen cloth ⁵  and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. ⁶  Then ⁷  he rolled a stone across the entrance ⁸  of the tomb.

Luke 23:52-53

23:52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body ⁹  of Jesus. 23:53 Then ¹⁰  he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, ¹¹  and placed it ¹²  in a tomb cut out of the rock, ¹³  where no one had yet been buried. ¹⁴ 

¹ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 15:39.

⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Joseph of Arimathea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

⁶ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁸ tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”

⁹ sn Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial. This 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. Mark 15:43).

¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹¹ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

¹² tn In the Greek text this pronoun (αὐτόν, auton) is masculine, while the previous one (αὐτό, auto) is neuter, referring to the body.

¹³ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.26).

¹⁴ tc Codex Bezae (D), with some support from 070, one Itala ms, and the Sahidic version, adds the words, “And after he [Jesus] was laid [in the tomb], he [Joseph of Arimathea] put a stone over the tomb which scarcely twenty men could roll.” Although this addition is certainly not part of the original text of Luke, it does show how interested the early scribes were in the details of the burial and may even reflect a very primitive tradition. Matt 27:60 and Mark 15:46 record the positioning of a large stone at the door of the tomb.