Matthew 27:55-61

27:55 Many ¹  women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support ²  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 ³  when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁴  27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵  Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 27:59 Joseph ⁶  took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁷  27:60 and placed it ⁸  in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. ⁹  Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance ¹⁰  of the tomb and went away. 27:61 (Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)

[27:55]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:55]  ² tn Grk “and ministered to him.”

[27:57]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[27:57]  ⁴ sn Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, his actions regarding Jesus’ burial suggest otherwise.

[27:58]  ⁵ 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]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:59]  ⁸ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

[27:60]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”