Matthew 27:57-60

Jesus’ Burial

27:57 Now ¹  when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ²  27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ³  Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 27:59 Joseph ⁴  took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁵  27:60 and placed it ⁶  in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. ⁷  Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance ⁸  of the tomb and went away.

Mark 15:42-46

Jesus’ Burial

15:42 Now ⁹  when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), ¹⁰  15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council, ¹¹  who was himself looking forward to ¹²  the kingdom of God, ¹³  went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ¹⁴  15:44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He ¹⁵  called the centurion and asked him if he had been dead for some time. 15:45 When Pilate ¹⁶  was informed by the centurion, ¹⁷  he gave the body to Joseph. 15:46 After Joseph ¹⁸  bought a linen cloth ¹⁹  and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. ²⁰  Then ²¹  he rolled a stone across the entrance ²²  of the tomb.

Luke 23:50

Jesus’ Burial

23:50 Now ²³  there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council, ²⁴  a good and righteous man.

[27:57]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[27:57]  ² sn Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, his actions regarding Jesus’ burial suggest otherwise.

[27:58]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:59]  ⁵ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

[27:60]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”

[15:42]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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.

[15:43]  ¹¹ 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.

[15:43]  ¹² tn Or “waiting for.”

[15:43]  ¹³ 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.

[15:43]  ¹⁴ 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.

[15:44]  ¹⁵ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:45]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:45]  ¹⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 15:39.

[15:46]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Joseph of Arimathea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:46]  ¹⁹ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

[15:46]  ²⁰ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).

[15:46]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:46]  ²² tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”

[23:50]  ²³ 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).

[23:50]  ²⁴ 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.