1On the first day of the week, at deep dawn, they came to the tomb carrying the spices they had prepared. [24:2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. [24:3] Going in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [24:4] While they were utterly at a loss about this, behold — two men stood near them in dazzling clothing. [24:5] As the women became frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? [24:6] He is not here — he has risen. Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee, [24:7] saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and rise on the third day." [24:8] And they remembered his words. [24:9] Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. [24:10] It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. [24:11] These words appeared to them as empty talk, and they did not believe them. [24:12] Peter, however, rose and ran to the tomb. Stooping down he saw only the linen wrappings lying there, and he went away marveling at what had happened.
LUK 24:1-12
The Resurrection
In the world it was spoken into
In the first-century Jewish context, the Sabbath was a day of rest, and the day after—the first day of the week—marked a return to ordinary activities. The women’s visit to the tomb at dawn aligns with Jewish burial customs, which included anointing the body with spices. Tombs were typically sealed with large stones, and the discovery of the stone rolled away would have been startling. The presence of two men in dazzling garments evokes angelic figures, a motif familiar in Jewish apocalyptic literature, signaling divine intervention. The women’s perplexity reflects their inability to reconcile the absence of Jesus’ body with their expectations. The accusation of idle talk by the apostles underscores the cultural skepticism toward women’s testimony, which was often deemed unreliable in Jewish and Greco-Roman legal contexts. The resurrection claim would have been both astonishing and culturally disruptive, challenging Jewish expectations of a Messiah and Greco-Roman views of death as final.
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How other translations render this
LUK 24:1
- KJV
- Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
- BSB
- On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.
- Koinōnos
- On the first day of the week, at deep dawn, they came to the tomb carrying the spices they had prepared.
LUK 24:2
- KJV
- And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
- BSB
- They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
- Koinōnos
- They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
LUK 24:3
- KJV
- And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
- BSB
- but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
- Koinōnos
- Going in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
LUK 24:4
- KJV
- And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
- BSB
- While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.
- Koinōnos
- While they were utterly at a loss about this, behold — two men stood near them in dazzling clothing.
LUK 24:5
- KJV
- And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
- BSB
- As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
- Koinōnos
- As the women became frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them: "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
LUK 24:6
- KJV
- He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
- BSB
- He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:
- Koinōnos
- He is not here — he has risen. Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee,
LUK 24:7
- KJV
- Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
- BSB
- ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”
- Koinōnos
- saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and rise on the third day.
LUK 24:8
- KJV
- And they remembered his words,
- BSB
- Then they remembered His words.
- Koinōnos
- And they remembered his words.
LUK 24:9
- KJV
- And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
- BSB
- And when they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
- Koinōnos
- Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest.
LUK 24:10
- KJV
- It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
- BSB
- It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.
- Koinōnos
- It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles.
LUK 24:11
- KJV
- And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
- BSB
- But their words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.
- Koinōnos
- These words appeared to them as empty talk, and they did not believe them.
LUK 24:12
- KJV
- Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
- BSB
- Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. And after bending down and seeing only the linen cloths, he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
- Koinōnos
- Peter, however, rose and ran to the tomb. Stooping down he saw only the linen wrappings lying there, and he went away marveling at what had happened.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.3.3
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.3.3
“He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, 9 those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day”
Cited to ground: The resurrection claim would have been both astonishing and culturally disruptive, challenging Jewish expectations of a Messiah and Greco-Roman views of death as final.
Translator's notes
LUK 24:1
- week:The word translated 'week' literally means 'Sabbath' or 'Sabbaths.' In this context, it refers to the period of seven days, with the first day being 'the first day after the Sabbath.'
- very early:The phrase translated 'very early' literally means 'deep early' or 'deep dawn.' It emphasizes the extreme darkness and earliness of the morning, before full daylight.
LUK 24:4
- perplexing:The word translated 'perplexing' describes a state of being utterly without resources or a way forward, like being at a loss or in a quandary, not just mildly confused.
LUK 24:11
- folly:The word translated 'folly' refers to empty talk, nonsense, or idle tales, often implying something worthless or without substance, rather than just a lack of wisdom.