^23:50Now¹¹⁶ there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council,¹¹⁷ a good and righteous man. ^23:51(He¹¹⁸ had not consented¹¹⁹ to their plan and action.) He¹²⁰ was from the Judean town¹²¹ of Arimathea, and was looking forward to¹²² the kingdom of God.¹²³^23:52He went to Pilate and asked for the body¹²⁴ of Jesus. ^23:53Then¹²⁵ he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth,¹²⁶ and placed it¹²⁷ in a tomb cut out of the rock,¹²⁸ where no one had yet been buried.¹²⁹^23:54It was the day of preparation¹³⁰ and the Sabbath was beginning.¹³¹^23:55The¹³² women who had accompanied Jesus¹³³ from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ^23:56Then¹³⁴ they returned and prepared aromatic spices¹³⁵ and perfumes.¹³⁶

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.¹³⁷

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Footnotes

116 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 ( 1).
117 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.
118 Grk “This one.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
119 Several (א C D L Δ Ψ 070 f1, 13 [579] 892 1424 2542 ) read the present participle συγκατατιθέμενος (sunkatatithemenos) instead of the perfect participle συγκατατεθειμένος (sunkatatetheimenos). The present participle could be taken to mean that Joseph had decided that the execution was now a mistake. The perfect means that he did not agree with it from the start. The perfect participle, however, has better support externally (𝔓75 A B W Θ 33 𝔐), and is thus the preferred reading. The parenthetical note at the beginning of v. 51 indicates that Joseph of Arimathea had not consented to the action of the Sanhedrin in condemning Jesus to death. Since Mark 14:64 indicates that all the council members condemned Jesus as deserving death, it is likely that Joseph was not present at the trial.
120 Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
121 Or “Judean city”; Grk “from Arimathea, a city of the Jews.” Here the expression “of the Jews” (Ἰουδαίων, Ioudaiōn) is used in an adjectival sense to specify a location (cf. Ἰουδαῖος 2.c) and so has been translated “Judean.”
122 Or “waiting for.”
123 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.
124 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).
125 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
126 The term σινδών (sindōn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.
127 In the Greek text this pronoun (αὐτόν, auton) is masculine, while the previous one (αὐτό, auto) is neuter, referring to the body.
128 That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.26).
129 Codex Bezae (D), with some support from 070, one Itala , 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. Or “laid to rest.”
130 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.
131 Normally, “dawning,” but as the Jewish Sabbath begins at 6 p.m., “beginning” is more appropriate.
132 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
133 Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
134 Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
135 On this term see 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.
136 Or “ointments.” This was another type of perfumed oil.
137 According to the commandment. These women are portrayed as pious, faithful to the law in observing the Sabbath.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

There was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, who had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God. He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed. It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

NLTNew Living Translation

Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.

As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man (this man was not consenting to their plan and deed), from Arimathea, a Judean town, who was looking forward to the kingdom of God. This man approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth and placed him in a tomb cut into the rock where no one had ever been placed. And it was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near. And the women who had been accompanying him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was placed. And they returned and prepared fragrant spices and perfumes, and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

KJV 1900King James Version

And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counseller; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

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