Matthew 28:7
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:7 is the seventh verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse is part of the resurrection
narrative. An angel has appeared at the empty tomb
and in this verse he continues his instructions to Mary Magdalene
and "the other Mary".
The original Koine Greek
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
The modern World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:7
This verse is a close parallel, and believed to be derived from Mark 16:7. The author of Matthew drops the specific reference to Peter
. This decision has been speculated upon by many readers over the centuries, especially as Peter has a central role and is often emphasized throughout Matthew, most importantly at Matthew 16:18 where Jesus calls Peter the rock upon which he will build his church. It may be linked to Peter's denial of Christ
. In this part of the narrative Matthew refers to the disciples as a unit, and dropping Peter may simply be to continue this pattern. Nau considers the omission of Peter in this verse "extraordinarily significant." He believes that his removal here disproves that Matthew was trying to build Peter up as the leader of the church. Rather Nau argues that Peter is first built up, and then brought down by his portrayal to emphasize the primacy of Jesus.
Matthew adds "he is risen from the dead" to the angels speech. Gundry speculates that this is to emphasize the fact of the resurrection. The angel in Matthew, unlike Mark, reminds the women to go quickly. Nolland believes that this was added not so much because speed was important, but rather to emphasize the importance to the reader of the message the women are bearing. Like Matthew 28:2
it shows an elevation in drama over the original version in Mark.
The angel tells the disciples to go to Galilee
, this fulfils Jesus' promise of Matthew 26:32. In Matthew the Great Commission
is delivered in Galilee. Mark does not mention the location, while Luke and John have it take place in Jerusalem. France notes that throughout Matthew, Galilee is a location of great importance and in Matthew 4
where Jesus first begins his ministry. By contrast, in Matthew Jerusalem is a city where negative things consistently happen. Fowler notes that the move to Galilee may be an attempt to establish that Jesus is truly resurrected, and not just a ghost. Ghosts are confined by tradition to tombs or the place of death. Jesus appearing in Galilee, away from both of those things, is evidence he is not a ghost.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. This verse is part of the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
narrative. An angel has appeared at the empty tomb
Empty tomb
Empty tomb most often refers to the tomb of Jesus which was found to be empty by the women who were present at Jesus’ crucifixion. They had come to his tomb to anoint his body with spices...
and in this verse he continues his instructions to Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
and "the other Mary".
The original Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- και ταχυ πορευθεισαι ειπατε τοις μαθηταις αυτου οτι ηγερθη απο των νεκρων
- και ιδου προαγει υμας εις την γαλιλαιαν εκει αυτον οψεσθε ιδου ειπον υμιν
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold,
- he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
The modern World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he
- goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:7
This verse is a close parallel, and believed to be derived from Mark 16:7. The author of Matthew drops the specific reference to Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
. This decision has been speculated upon by many readers over the centuries, especially as Peter has a central role and is often emphasized throughout Matthew, most importantly at Matthew 16:18 where Jesus calls Peter the rock upon which he will build his church. It may be linked to Peter's denial of Christ
Denial of Peter
The Denial of Peter refers to three acts of denial of Jesus by the Apostle Peter as described in the three Synoptic Gospels of the New Testament....
. In this part of the narrative Matthew refers to the disciples as a unit, and dropping Peter may simply be to continue this pattern. Nau considers the omission of Peter in this verse "extraordinarily significant." He believes that his removal here disproves that Matthew was trying to build Peter up as the leader of the church. Rather Nau argues that Peter is first built up, and then brought down by his portrayal to emphasize the primacy of Jesus.
Matthew adds "he is risen from the dead" to the angels speech. Gundry speculates that this is to emphasize the fact of the resurrection. The angel in Matthew, unlike Mark, reminds the women to go quickly. Nolland believes that this was added not so much because speed was important, but rather to emphasize the importance to the reader of the message the women are bearing. Like Matthew 28:2
Matthew 28:2
Matthew 28:2 is the second verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative...
it shows an elevation in drama over the original version in Mark.
The angel tells the disciples to go to Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, this fulfils Jesus' promise of Matthew 26:32. In Matthew the Great Commission
Great Commission
The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing missionary work, evangelism, and baptism...
is delivered in Galilee. Mark does not mention the location, while Luke and John have it take place in Jerusalem. France notes that throughout Matthew, Galilee is a location of great importance and in Matthew 4
Matthew 4
Matthew 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It contains two quite distinct sections. The first half, to verse eleven is Matthew's account for the Temptation of Christ by Satan...
where Jesus first begins his ministry. By contrast, in Matthew Jerusalem is a city where negative things consistently happen. Fowler notes that the move to Galilee may be an attempt to establish that Jesus is truly resurrected, and not just a ghost. Ghosts are confined by tradition to tombs or the place of death. Jesus appearing in Galilee, away from both of those things, is evidence he is not a ghost.