Matthew 27:51-66

27:51 Just then ¹  the temple curtain ²  was torn in two, from top to bottom. The ³  earth shook and the rocks were split apart. 27:52 And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died ⁴  were raised. 27:53 (They ⁵  came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.) 27:54 Now when the centurion ⁶  and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, “Truly this one was God’s Son!” 27:55 Many ⁷  women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support ⁸  were also there, watching from a distance. 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus’ Burial

27:57 Now ⁹  when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ¹⁰  27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ¹¹  Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 27:59 Joseph ¹²  took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ¹³  27:60 and placed it ¹⁴  in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. ¹⁵  Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance ¹⁶  of the tomb and went away. 27:61 (Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)

The Guard at the Tomb

27:62 The ¹⁷  next day (which is after the day of preparation) the chief priests and the Pharisees ¹⁸  assembled before Pilate 27:63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 27:64 So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. Otherwise his disciples may come and steal his body ¹⁹  and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 27:65 Pilate said to them, “Take ²⁰  a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you can.” 27:66 So ²¹  they went with the soldiers ²²  of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

[27:51]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold.”

[27:51]  ² tn The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.

[27:51]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:52]  ⁴ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[27:53]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:54]  ⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in Matt 8:5.

[27:55]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:55]  ⁸ tn Grk “and ministered to him.”

[27:57]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[27:57]  ¹⁰ sn Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, his actions regarding Jesus’ burial suggest otherwise.

[27:58]  ¹¹ 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. Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51). He did this because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial.

[27:59]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:59]  ¹³ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

[27:60]  ¹⁴ tc ‡ αὐτό (auto, “it”) is found after ἔθηκεν (eqhken, “placed”) in the majority of witnesses, including many important ones, though it seems to be motivated by a need for clarification and cannot therefore easily explain the rise of the shorter reading (which is read by א L Θ Ë¹³ 33 892 pc). Regardless of which reading is original (though with a slight preference for the shorter reading), English style requires the pronoun. NA²⁷ includes αὐτό here, no doubt due to the overwhelming external attestation.

[27:60]  ¹⁵ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).

[27:60]  ¹⁶ tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”

[27:62]  ¹⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:62]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[27:64]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “him.”

[27:65]  ²⁰ tn Grk “You have a guard.”

[27:66]  ²¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Pilate’s order.

[27:66]  ²² tn Grk “with the guard.” The words “soldiers of the” have been supplied in the translation to prevent “guard” from being misunderstood as a single individual.