23:50 Now 1 there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council, 2 a good and righteous man. 23:51 (He 3 had not consented 4 to their plan and action.) He 5 was from the Judean town 6 of Arimathea, and was looking forward to 7 the kingdom of God. 8 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 23:54 It was the day of preparation 15 and the Sabbath was beginning. 16 23:55 The 17 women who had accompanied Jesus 18 from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 23:56 Then 19 they returned and prepared aromatic spices 20 and perfumes. 21
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 22
24:1 Now on the first day 23 of the week, at early dawn, the women 24 went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices 25 they had prepared. 24:2 They 26 found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, 27 24:3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 28 24:4 While 29 they were perplexed 30 about this, suddenly 31 two men stood beside them in dazzling 32 attire. 24:5 The 33 women 34 were terribly frightened 35 and bowed 36 their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living 37 among the dead? 24:6 He is not here, but has been raised! 38 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 39 24:7 that 40 the Son of Man must be delivered 41 into the hands of sinful men, 42 and be crucified, 43 and on the third day rise again.” 44 24:8 Then 45 the women remembered his words, 46 24:9 and when they returned from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven 47 and to all the rest. 24:10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, 48 Joanna, 49 Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 24:11 But these words seemed like pure nonsense 50 to them, and they did not believe them. 24:12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. 51 He bent down 52 and saw only the strips of linen cloth; 53 then he went home, 54 wondering 55 what had happened. 56
1 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).
2 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.
3 tn Grk “This one.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
4 tc Several
5 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
6 tn Or “Judean city”; Grk “from Arimathea, a city of the Jews.” Here the expression “of the Jews” (᾿Iουδαίων, Ioudaiwn) is used in an adjectival sense to specify a location (cf. BDAG 478 s.v. ᾿Iουδαῖος 2.c) and so has been translated “Judean.”
7 tn Or “waiting for.”
8 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, the affirmation of his character at the end of v. 50, and his actions regarding Jesus’ burial all suggest otherwise.
5 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).
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
8 tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.
9 tn In the Greek text this pronoun (αὐτόν, auton) is masculine, while the previous one (αὐτό, auto) is neuter, referring to the body.
10 tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.26).
11 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.
9 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.
10 tn Normally, “dawning,” but as the Jewish Sabbath begins at 6 p.m., “beginning” is more appropriate.
11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
12 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
14 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.
15 tn Or “ointments.” This was another type of perfumed oil.
16 sn According to the commandment. These women are portrayed as pious, faithful to the law in observing the Sabbath.
15 sn The first day of the week is the day after the Sabbath.
16 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the women mentioned in 23:55) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn On this term see BDAG 140-41 s.v. ἄρωμα. See also the note on “aromatic spices” in 23:56.
17 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 sn Luke tells the story of the empty tomb with little drama. He simply notes that when they arrived the stone had been rolled away in a position where the tomb could be entered. This large stone was often placed in a channel so that it could be easily moved by rolling it aside. The other possibility is that it was merely placed over the opening in a position from which it had now been moved.
19 tc The translation follows the much better attested longer reading here, “body of the Lord Jesus” (found in {Ì75 א A B C L W Θ Ψ Ë1,13 33 565 700 Ï}), rather than simply “the body” (found in D it) or “the body of Jesus” (found in 579 1241 pc). Further, although this is the only time that “Lord Jesus” occurs in Luke, it seems to be Luke’s normal designation for the Lord after his resurrection (note the many references to Christ in this manner in Acts, e.g., 1:21; 4:33; 7:59; 8:16; 11:17; 15:11; 16:31; 19:5; 20:21; 28:31). Although such a longer reading as this would normally be suspect, in this case some scribes, accustomed to Luke’s more abbreviated style, did not take the resurrection into account.
21 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
22 tn Or “bewildered.” The term refers to a high state of confusion and anxiety.
23 tn Grk “behold.”
24 sn The brilliantly shining clothing (dazzling attire) points to the fact that these are angels (see 24:23).
23 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
24 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the women) has been specified in the translation for clarity (the same has been done in v. 8).
25 tn Or “They were extremely afraid.”
26 sn Bowed their faces to the ground. Such respect for angels is common: Dan 7:28; 10:9, 15.
27 sn By referring to Jesus as the living, the angels make it clear that he is alive. There should be no surprise.
25 tc The phrase “He is not here, but has been raised” is omitted by a few
26 sn While he was still in Galilee looks back to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. So the point is that this was announced long ago, and should come as no surprise.
27 tn Grk “saying that,” but this would be redundant in English. Although the translation represents this sentence as indirect discourse, the Greek could equally be taken as direct discourse: “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee: ‘the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”
28 tn See Luke 9:22, 44; 13:33.
29 tn Because in the historical context the individuals who were primarily responsible for the death of Jesus (the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem in Luke’s view [see Luke 9:22]) would have been men, the translation “sinful men” for ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτωλῶν (anqrwpwn Jamartwlwn) is retained here.
30 sn See the note on crucify in 23:21.
31 tn Here the infinitive ἀναστῆναι (anasthnai) is active rather than passive.
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
30 sn On his words see Luke 9:22.
31 sn Judas is now absent and “the twelve” have now become “the eleven.” Other disciples are also gathered with the remaining eleven.
33 sn Mary Magdalene is always noted first in the appearance lists in the gospels. It is unusual that the first appearance would involve women as in this culture their role as witnesses would not be well accepted. It is a sign of the veracity of the account, because if an ancient were to create such a story he would never have it start with women.
34 sn On Joanna see Luke 8:1-3.
35 sn The term pure nonsense can describe idle talk or a tale. The point is important, since the disciples reacted with disbelief that a resurrection was possible. Sometimes it is thought the ancients were gullible enough to believe anything. But these disciples needed convincing about the resurrection.
37 sn While the others dismissed the report of the women, Peter got up and ran to the tomb, for he had learned to believe in what the Lord had said.
38 sn In most instances the entrance to such tombs was less than 3 ft (1 m) high, so that an adult would have to bend down and practically crawl inside.
39 tn In the NT this term is used only for strips of cloth used to wrap a body for burial (LN 6.154; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνιον).
40 tn Or “went away, wondering to himself.” The prepositional phrase πρὸς ἑαυτόν (pros Jeauton) can be understood with the preceding verb ἀπῆλθεν (aphlqen) or with the following participle θαυμάζων (qaumazwn), but it more likely belongs with the former (cf. John 20:10, where the phrase can only refer to the verb).
41 sn Peter’s wondering was not a lack of faith, but struggling in an attempt to understand what could have happened.
42 tc Some Western