Matthew 28:2
New International Version
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

New Living Translation
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.

English Standard Version
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

Berean Standard Bible
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.

Berean Literal Bible
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, having descended out of heaven and having come, rolled away the stone and was sitting upon it.

King James Bible
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

New King James Version
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

New American Standard Bible
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.

NASB 1995
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

NASB 1977
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

Legacy Standard Bible
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

Amplified Bible
And a great earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone [from the opening of the tomb], and sat on it.

Christian Standard Bible
There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.

American Standard Version
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.

Contemporary English Version
Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it.

English Revised Version
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Suddenly, there was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord had come down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and was sitting on it.

Good News Translation
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it.

International Standard Version
Suddenly, there was a powerful earthquake, because an angel of the Lord had come down from heaven, approached the stone, rolled it away, and was sitting on top of it.

Majority Standard Bible
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.

NET Bible
Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.

New Heart English Bible
And look, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Weymouth New Testament
But to their amazement there had been a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord had descended from Heaven, and had come and rolled back the stone, and was sitting upon it.

World English Bible
Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky and came and rolled away the stone from the door and sat on it.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and behold, there came a great earthquake, for a messenger of the LORD, having come down out of Heaven, having come, rolled away the stone from the door, and was sitting on it,

Berean Literal Bible
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, having descended out of heaven and having come, rolled away the stone and was sitting upon it.

Young's Literal Translation
and lo, there came a great earthquake, for a messenger of the Lord, having come down out of heaven, having come, did roll away the stone from the door, and was sitting upon it,

Smith's Literal Translation
And, behold, there was a great shaking; for a messenger of the Lord, having come down out of heaven, having come near, rolled away the stone from the door, and sat above it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And behold, a great earthquake occurred. For an Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and as he approached, he rolled back the stone and sat down on it.

New American Bible
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.

New Revised Standard Version
And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And behold, a great earthquake took place; for the angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and went up and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And behold there was a great earthquake, for The Angel of THE LORD JEHOVAH descended from Heaven, and he came, he rolled the stone from the entrance and sat upon it.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And behold, there had been a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord having descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Godbey New Testament
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel descending from heaven, having come rolled away the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Haweis New Testament
And, lo! there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Mace New Testament
now there had been a great earthquake; for an angel of the lord descending from heaven, was come, and had rolled away the stone from the door, and was sitting upon it.

Weymouth New Testament
But to their amazement there had been a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord had descended from Heaven, and had come and rolled back the stone, and was sitting upon it.

Worrell New Testament
And, behold, there occurred a great commotion; for an angel of the Lord, descending out of Heaven, and coming near, rolled away the stone, and was sitting upon it.

Worsley New Testament
and behold, there had been a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, had come and rolled away the stone from the door, and was sitting upon it:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Resurrection
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.…

Cross References
Mark 16:5
When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

Luke 24:4
While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.

John 20:12
and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

Acts 1:10
They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

Revelation 10:1
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.

Daniel 6:22
My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”

Daniel 10:6
His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

Exodus 3:2
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.

Judges 13:3
The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

2 Kings 19:35
And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!

Genesis 19:1
Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,

Psalm 104:4
He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.

Zechariah 3:1-2
Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. / And the LORD said to Satan: “The LORD rebukes you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you! Is not this man a firebrand snatched from the fire?”

Isaiah 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!

2 Samuel 24:16
But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.


Treasury of Scripture

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

there.

Matthew 27:51-53
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; …

Acts 16:26
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

Revelation 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

was.

Mark 16:3-5
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? …

Luke 24:2-5
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre…

John 20:1,12,13
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre…

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Matthew 28
1. Christ's resurrection is declared by an angel to the women.
9. He himself appears unto them.
11. The chief priests pay the soldiers to say that he was stolen out of his tomb.
16. Christ appears to his disciples,
18. and sends them to baptize and teach all nations.














And behold
The word "behold" is a call to attention, urging the reader to focus on the extraordinary event that is about to be described. In the Greek, "ἰδοὺ" (idou) serves as an imperative, drawing the audience into the narrative with a sense of immediacy and wonder. This word sets the stage for the miraculous, inviting believers to witness the power of God in action.

there was a great earthquake
The phrase "great earthquake" is significant both symbolically and literally. The Greek word for earthquake, "σεισμός" (seismos), indicates a powerful shaking of the earth. Historically, earthquakes in the Bible often accompany divine revelation or intervention, such as at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18). This seismic event underscores the magnitude of the resurrection, marking it as a pivotal moment in salvation history.

for an angel of the Lord
The presence of "an angel of the Lord" signifies divine action and authority. Angels, or "ἄγγελος" (angelos) in Greek, are messengers of God, often appearing at critical moments to deliver God's word or enact His will. This angel's involvement highlights the heavenly endorsement of the resurrection, affirming its divine origin and purpose.

descended from heaven
The phrase "descended from heaven" emphasizes the angel's divine origin and mission. In biblical cosmology, heaven is the dwelling place of God and His angels. The descent signifies a direct intervention from the divine realm into the earthly sphere, bridging the gap between God and humanity through the resurrection of Jesus.

and rolled away the stone
The action of "rolled away the stone" is both literal and symbolic. The Greek verb "ἀποκυλίω" (apokylio) means to roll away or remove. This act not only physically opens the tomb but also symbolizes the removal of barriers between humanity and God. It signifies the triumph over death and the opening of the way to eternal life through Christ.

and sat on it
The angel "sat on it," indicating a position of authority and completion. In ancient times, sitting was a posture of teaching or judgment. By sitting on the stone, the angel demonstrates the finality of Christ's victory over death. It is a visual proclamation that the work of salvation is accomplished, and the power of the grave is defeated. This act reassures believers of the certainty and permanence of the resurrection.

(2) There was a great earthquake.--The words imply, not that they witnessed the earthquake, but that they inferred it from what they saw. The form of the angel is described in Mark 16:5 as that of a "young man" in white or bright (Luke 24:4) raiment. This was the answer to the question they had been asking as they came, "Who shall roll away the stone for us?" (Mark 16:3). That would have been beyond their strength.

Verse 2. - And, behold. A wonderful sight met their eyes. The following event took place before their arrival; they saw only the result. No mortal eye beheld, and no pen has recorded, the actual issuing of the Lord from the closed tomb. There was a great earthquake. St. Matthew does not attempt to give the exact sequence of events. Probably the shock, caused by the sudden advent and action of the angel, befell as the women were approaching the cemetery. Christ had risen before this occurrence, nothing being a barrier to his spiritual body. For the angel of the Lord... from the door. The narrator accounts for the phenomenon just mentioned. The words, "from the door," are omitted by the best manuscripts, the Vulgate, and modern editors, and seem to be a marginal interpolation. The angel rolled away the stone which Joseph had rolled up (Matthew 27:60), not in order to afford passage to the body of the Lord, who had already raised himself, but to give the women and others entrance to the empty tomb, and to strike terror into the heart of the soldiers. In the case of Lazarus the stone had to be removed to give exit to the resuscitated body - a natural body (John 11:39, 41); in the case of Jesus such removal was not necessary, as his was a spiritual body, possessed of supernatural powers and qualities (John 20:19). And sat upon it. In triumph, and to show that it was not to be replaced; death had done its work, and now was vanquished. Angels' appearances had always accompanied the great events in the history of the chosen people; angels had shown themselves at Christ's birth, at his temptation, at his agony; now they guard his tomb, proving that he was well pleasing unto the Lord, and was raised from the grave by him. The narration of this awful incident was probably given by the soldiers, who alone witnessed it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Suddenly
ἰδοὺ (idou)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2400: See! Lo! Behold! Look! Second person singular imperative middle voice of eido; used as imperative lo!

there was
ἐγένετο (egeneto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

a great
μέγας (megas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.

earthquake,
σεισμὸς (seismos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4578: A shaking (as an earthquake); a storm. From seio; a commotion, i.e. a gale, an earthquake.

for
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

an angel
ἄγγελος (angelos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 32: From aggello; a messenger; especially an 'angel'; by implication, a pastor.

of [the] Lord
Κυρίου (Kyriou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

descended
καταβὰς (katabas)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2597: To go down, come down, either from the sky or from higher land, descend. From kata and the base of basis; to descend.

from
ἐξ (ex)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

heaven,
οὐρανοῦ (ouranou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

rolled away
ἀπεκύλισεν (apekylisen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 617: To roll away. From apo and kulioo; to roll away.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

stone,
λίθον (lithon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3037: A stone; met: of Jesus as the chief stone in a building. Apparently a primary word; a stone.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

sat
ἐκάθητο (ekathēto)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2521: To sit, be seated, enthroned; I dwell, reside. From kata; and hemai; to sit down; figuratively, to remain, reside.

on
ἐπάνω (epanō)
Preposition
Strong's 1883: From epi and ano; up above, i.e. Over or on.

it.
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 28:2 Behold there was a great earthquake (Matt. Mat Mt)
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