^27:32As⁵³ they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced⁵⁴ to carry his cross.⁵⁵^27:33They⁵⁶ came to a place called Golgotha⁵⁷ (which means “Place of the Skull”)⁵⁸^27:34and offered Jesus⁵⁹ wine mixed with gall to drink.⁶⁰ But after tasting it, he would not drink it. ^27:35When⁶¹ they had crucified⁶² him, they divided his clothes by throwing dice.⁶³^27:36Then they sat down and kept guard over him there. ^27:37Above⁶⁴ his head they put the charge against him,⁶⁵ which read:⁶⁶ “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” ^27:38Then two outlaws were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^27:39Those⁶⁷ who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads ^27:40and saying, “You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!⁶⁸ If you are God’s Son, come down⁶⁹ from the cross!” ^27:41In⁷⁰ the same way even the chief priests—together with the experts in the law⁷¹ and elders⁷²—were mocking him:⁷³^27:42“He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down⁷⁴ now from the cross, we will believe in him! ^27:43He trusts in God—let God, if he wants to, deliver him now⁷⁵ because he said, ‘I am God’s Son’!” ^27:44The⁷⁶ robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.⁷⁷

Jesus’ Death

^27:45Now from noon until three,⁷⁸ darkness came over all the land.⁷⁹^27:46At⁸⁰ about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice,⁸¹ “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”⁸²^27:47When⁸³ some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ^27:48Immediately⁸⁴ one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine,⁸⁵ put it on a stick,⁸⁶ and gave it to him to drink. ^27:49But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to save him.”⁸⁷^27:50Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. ^27:51Just then⁸⁸ the temple curtain⁸⁹ was torn in two, from top to bottom. The⁹⁰ earth shook and the rocks were split apart. ^27:52And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died⁹¹ were raised. ^27:53(They⁹² came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.) ^27:54Now when the centurion⁹³ and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, “Truly this one was God’s Son!” ^27:55Many⁹⁴ women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support⁹⁵ were also there, watching from a distance. ^27:56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus’ Burial

^27:57Now⁹⁶ when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.⁹⁷^27:58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.⁹⁸ Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ^27:59Joseph⁹⁹ took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,¹⁰⁰^27:60and placed it¹⁰¹ in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock.¹⁰² Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance¹⁰³ of the tomb and went away. ^27:61(Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)

The Guard at the Tomb

^27:62The¹⁰⁴ next day (which is after the day of preparation) the chief priests and the Pharisees¹⁰⁵ assembled before Pilate ^27:63and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ^27:64So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. Otherwise his disciples may come and steal his body¹⁰⁶ and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ^27:65Pilate said to them, “Take¹⁰⁷ a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you can.” ^27:66So¹⁰⁸ they went with the soldiers¹⁰⁹ of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

53 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
54 Or “conscripted”; or “pressed into service.”
55 Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help (in all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution). Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon. Mark 15:21 names him as father of two people apparently known to Mark’s audience.
56 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
57 This is an Aramaic name; see John 19:17.
58 A place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). This location is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for the Greek term κρανίον (kranion) is calvaria, from which the English word “Calvary” is derived (cf. Luke 23:33 in the ).
59 Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60 It is difficult to say for certain who gave Jesus this drink of wine mixed with gall (e.g., the executioner, or perhaps women from Jerusalem). In any case, whoever gave it to him most likely did so in order to relieve his pain, but Jesus was unwilling to take it.
61 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
62 See the note on crucified in .
63 Grk “by throwing the lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throwing dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling. According to L&N 6.219 a term for “dice” is particularly appropriate. An allusion to Ps 22:18.
64 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
65 Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.
66 Grk “was written.”
67 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
68 There is rich irony in the statements of those who were passing by, “save yourself!” and “come down from the cross!” In summary, they wanted Jesus to come down from the cross and save his physical life, but it was indeed his staying on the cross and giving his physical life that led to the fact that they could experience a resurrection from death to life.
69 Many important witnesses (א* A D it sy[s],p) read καί (kai, here with the force of “then”) before κατάβηθι (katabēthi, “come down”). The shorter reading may well be due to homoioarcton, but judging by the diverse external evidence (א2 B L W Θ 0250 f1, 13 33 𝔐 lat) it is equally possible that the shorter reading is original (and is so considered for this translation). puts the καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
70 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
71 Or “with the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in .
72 Only “chief priests” is in the nominative case; this sentence structure attempts to capture this emphasis.
73 Grk “Mocking him, the chief priests … said.”
74 Here the aorist imperative καταβάτω (katabatō) has been translated as a conditional imperative. This fits the pattern of other conditional imperatives (imperative + καί + future indicative) outlined by .
75 An allusion to Ps 22:8.
76 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
77 Matthew’s wording suggests that both of the criminals spoke abusively to him. If so, one of them quickly changed his attitude toward Jesus (see Luke 23:40–43).
78 Grk “from the sixth hour to the ninth hour.”
79 This imagery has parallels to the Day of the Lord: Joel 2:10; Amos 8:9; Zeph 1:15.
80 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
81 Grk “with a loud voice, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
82 A quotation from Ps 22:1.
83 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
84 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
85 Sour wine refers to cheap wine that was called in Latin posca, a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.
86 Grk “a reed.”
87 Early and important (א B C L Γ ) have another sentence at the end of this verse: “And another [soldier] took a spear and pierced him in the side, and water and blood flowed out.” This comment finds such a strong parallel in John 19:34 that it was undoubtedly lifted from the Fourth Gospel by early, well-meaning scribes and inserted into Matt 27:49. Consequently, even though the support for the shorter reading (A D W Θ f1, 13 33 𝔐 lat sy sa bo) is not nearly as impressive, internal considerations on its behalf are compelling.
88 Grk “And behold.”
89 The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.
90 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
91 The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
92 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
93 See the note on the word centurion in .
94 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
95 Grk “and ministered to him.” Cf. Luke 8:3.
96 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
97 Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, his actions regarding Jesus’ burial suggest otherwise.
98 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.
99 Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
100 The term σινδών (sindōn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.
101 αὐτό (auto, “it”) is found after ἔθηκεν (ethēken, “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 f13 33 892 ). Regardless of which reading is original (though with a slight preference for the shorter reading), English style requires the pronoun. includes αὐτό here, no doubt due to the overwhelming external attestation.
102 That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).
103 Or “to the door,” “against the door.”
104 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
105 See the note on Pharisees in .
106 Grk “him.”
107 Grk “You have a guard.”
108 Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Pilate’s order.
109 Grk “with the guard.” The words “soldiers of the” have been supplied in the translation to prevent “guard” from being misunderstood as a single individual.