Matthew 26:17

The Passover

26:17 Now on the first day of the feast of ¹  Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, ²  “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ³ 

Mark 15:42

Jesus’ Burial

15:42 Now ⁴  when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), ⁵ 

Luke 23:54-56

23:54 It was the day of preparation ⁶  and the Sabbath was beginning. ⁷  23:55 The ⁸  women who had accompanied Jesus ⁹  from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 23:56 Then ¹⁰  they returned and prepared aromatic spices ¹¹  and perfumes. ¹² 

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. ¹³ 

John 19:14

19:14 (Now it was the day of preparation ¹⁴  for the Passover, about noon. ¹⁵ ) ¹⁶  Pilate ¹⁷  said to the Jewish leaders, ¹⁸  “Look, here is your king!”

John 19:42

19:42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation ¹⁹  and the tomb was nearby, ²⁰  they placed Jesus’ body there.

[26:17]  ¹ tn The words “the feast of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

[26:17]  ² tn Grk “the disciples came to Jesus, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.

[26:17]  ³ sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 26:20). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.

[15:42]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic and introduction of a new character.

[15:42]  ⁵ 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.

[23:54]  ⁶ 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.

[23:54]  ⁷ tn Normally, “dawning,” but as the Jewish Sabbath begins at 6 p.m., “beginning” is more appropriate.

[23:55]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:55]  ⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:56]  ¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:56]  ¹¹ tn On this term see BDAG 140-41 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these preparations were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition. The women planned to return and anoint the body. But that would have to wait until after the Sabbath.

[23:56]  ¹² tn Or “ointments.” This was another type of perfumed oil.

[23:56]  ¹³ sn According to the commandment. These women are portrayed as pious, faithful to the law in observing the Sabbath.

[19:14]  ¹⁴ sn The term day of preparation (παρασκευή, paraskeuh) appears in all the gospels as a description of the day on which Jesus died. It could refer to any Friday as the day of preparation for the Sabbath (Saturday), and this is the way the synoptic gospels use the term (Matt 27:62, Mark 15:42, and Luke 23:54). John, however, specifies in addition that this was not only the day of preparation of the Sabbath, but also the day of preparation of the Passover, so that the Sabbath on the following day was the Passover (cf. 19:31).

[19:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[19:14]  ¹⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:14]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[19:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin, and their servants (mentioned specifically as “the chief priests and their servants” in John 19:6). See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.

[19:42]  ¹⁹ 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.

[19:42]  ²⁰ 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.