Matthew 28
CamGreekMatthew 28:1
- ὄψε denotes a longer interval after sunset than ἑσπέρα.
σάββατα. Plural in both senses, ‘sabbath’ and ‘week.’
τῇἐπιφωσκούσῃ. Cp. Luke 23:54, σάββατονἐπέφωσκεν, the only other passage where the word occurs, the cognate form ἐπιφαύσκειν is classical, and occurs four times in the LXX. version of Job: ἢοὐχὁρῶμενἥλιοντὸνἐπιφασκοντα, Job 31:26. In Luke loc. cit. the word ἐπιφώσκειν is used not of the natural daybreak, but of the commencement of the sabbath after sunset on the παρασκευή. Here, as we see from the parallel passages (Luke 24:1, ὂρθρουβαθέως; Mark 16:2, λίανπρωῒμιᾷτῶνσαββάτων; John 20:1, πρωΐσκοτίαςἔτιοὔσης), it means the early dawn.
θεωρῆσαιτὸντάφον. Both St Mark and St Luke mention that they brought spices and ointments.
Matthew 28:2
- σεισμὸςἐγένετομέγας. Peculiar to St Matthew.
ἄγγελοςκυρίου. ἄνδρεςδύοἐπέστησαναὐταῖςἐσθῆτιἀστραπτούσῃ (Luke 24:4). δύοἀγγέλουςἐνλευκοῖςκαθεζομένους (John 20:12).
Matthew 28:3
- εἰδέα. Here only in N.T., not ‘countenance,’ but ‘appearance,’ ‘species sub oculos cadens,’ not the thing itself but the thing as beholden, ‘ἰδέατοῦπροσώπου, ‘the look of the countenance.’ (Trench, N.T. Syn. 2nd series, p. 93.)
Matthew 28:4
- ἀπὸφόβου … ὡςνεκροί. Cp. οἱδὲσύμμαχοιτεθνᾶσιτῷδέειτοὺςτοιούτουςἀποστόλους, Dem. Phil. I. 45.
Matthew 28:5
- μὴφοβεῖσθεὑμεῖς. The pronoun is emphatic; a contrast with the alarm of the soldiers is implied.
τὸνἐσταυρωμένον. ‘Who hath been crucified,’ not ‘which was crucified,’ A.V.
Matthew 28:6
- ἠγέρθη. As in ch. Matthew 27:64, He rose. So also in next verse.
καθώς. Non-Attic for classical καθά. See Lob. Phryn. p. 426.
ἴδετεκ.τ.λ. In order that they might be convinced of the fact.
It is hardly possible for us even to conceive the overwhelming joy that the conviction of this truth must have brought to these holy women, whose recollection of the divine words and looks and love-inspiring sweetness of character would be quickened by the painful watching and the passionate sorrow for their seeming loss.
Matthew 28:7
- εἴπατεκ.τ.λ. ‘And Peter’ (Mark). Peter, more than the rest, would be longing for the Lord’s return to win forgiveness.
Matthew 28:9
- ὑπήντησεν. See note, ch. Matthew 8:28.
Χαίρετε. The Greek salutation, both on meeting and on parting.
ἐκράτησαναὐτοῦτοὺςπόδαςκ.τ.λ. The immemorial usage in the East in obeisance to a sovereign prince.
In the interesting clay cylinder of Cyrus he says of the subject kings: ‘they brought me their full tribute and kissed my feet.’ (Canon Rawlinson, Cont. Rev. Jan. 1880).
Matthew 28:10
- ἀπαγγείλατεκ.τ.λ. i.e. tell my brethren (of my Resurrection), in order that they may go.
ἀδελφοῖςμου. The disciples; ‘He named them brethren, as being Himself a man and their kinsman according to man’s nature’ (Euthymius quoted by Ellicott, Life of our Lord); comp. Hebrews 2:11, ὃτεγὰρἁγιάζωνκαὶοἱἁγιαζόμενοιἐξἑνὸςπάντεςδιʼ ἥναἰτίανοὐκἐπαισχύνεταιἀδελφοὺςαὐτοὺςκαλεῖν. The name of ‘brethren’ is not directly applied by Christ to his disciples, until after the Resurrection (cp. John 20:17). He had clearly manifested the power of the Godhead, and there was special need of reminding his disciples that He was still man, and that they were brethren.
Matthew 28:11
- τινὲςτῆςκουστωδίας. An expression that implies more than the traditional number of four guards. The full complement of a κουστωδία appears to have been 60 men. See note, ch. Matthew 27:65.
Matthew 28:12
- ἀργύριαἱκανά. Many pieces of silver, a largesse.
Matthew 28:13
- ἡμῶνκοιμωμένων. The penalty for which would be death.
Matthew 28:14
- ἐπὶτοῦἡγεμόνος. ‘Before the governor.’ With this use of ἐπὶ comp. ἐπὶμαρτύρων, 1 Timothy 5:19; ἐπὶτῶνἀδίκων … ἐπὶτῶνἁγίων, 1 Corinthians 6:1, ‘at the bar of,’ and the common phrases ἐπὶδικαστῶν, δικαστηρίων. These expressions are closely connected with the physical notion of ἐπὶ, ‘upon.’ A matter may be said to rest upon witnesses or judges, i.e. depend upon their evidence or decision. This use explains the expression in the text, which means either, (1) ‘If the matter should be heard in the Procurator’s Court’—come before him officially. (2) Or perhaps in a more general sense; ‘If rumours of it should come before him’—if he should hear of it.
πείσομεν. ‘Will persuade’ (by bribes). Cp. Eur. Medea 964, μήμοισύ, πείθεινδῶρακαὶθεοὺςλόγος | χρυσὸςδὲκρείσσωνμυρίωνλόγωνβροτοῖς. Hdt. VIII. 134, ξεῖνόντινακαὶοὐΘηβαῖονχρήμασιπείσας.
ἀμερίμνους. At Rome, in Cicero’s time, judicial bribery was so organized that contracts were taken to secure acquittal by this means. And the whole process of bribery had a special vocabulary, in which this very word ἀμέριμνος appears to have had a place, Curio meeting Verres and assuring him that he has won his acquittal by bribery: ‘hunc jubet sine cura esse: renuntio inquit tibi te hodiernis comitiis esse absolutum.’ ἀμέριμνος here and 1 Corinthians 7:32 only in N.T.
Matthew 28:15
- διεφημίσθημέχριτῆςσήμερον. Hence St Matthew found it especially needful to narrate the true facts. An aorist qualified by an adverb of present time has the force of a perfect definite. The note of time therefore, like the use of γέγονεν (ch. Matthew 1:22, Matthew 22:4), implies that the events described were still of comparatively recent memory.
Matthew 28:16
- τὸὄρος. The mountain. Perhaps the highland behind Tell Hum or Capernaum (see map), the scene of their earliest intercourse with Christ, and the very spot where the New Law was first proclaimed. There the brethren, possibly five hundred in number [see Matthew 28:9-10 (8) (9)], besides the Eleven, awaited the coming of the Great Shepherd (Matthew 28:7). As the sacred form appeared on the familiar mountain side they threw themselves on the ground, doing homage to their Lord and God. But some doubted still. Then He drew more near and spake. And as the words sounded in their ears, we may believe they ‘knew his voice’ and dismissed their doubts.
Matthew 28:17
- προσεκύνησαν. See note, ch. Matthew 20:20. It is characteristic of St Matthew’s Gospel that this word, which indicates the homage and prostration before a king, should occur twelve times, whereas it is found twice only in each of the other Synoptics.
οἱδέ. Probably not some of the Apostles, but some of the five hundred who had not previously seen the Lord.
For οἱδὲ when οἱμὲν is omitted in the first clause see note, ch. Matthew 26:67. Il. XI. 536, ἀφʼ ἱππείωνὁπλέωνῥαθάμιγγεςἒβαλλον, | αἱδʼ ἀπʼ ἐπισσώτρων (Winer, p. 131, and Riddell on Plato, Apol. Soc., p. 18, note 3, and Dig. 241).
ἐδίστασαν. The same word is used of St Peter’s doubt, ch. Matthew 14:31, and in these passages only in N.T.; there too the doubt is followed by adoration, 28:33.
Matthew 28:18
- προσελθὼνἐλάλησεν. Came up to them, near to them, and spake.
Ἐδόθη, ‘was given,’—the aorist of an eternal fact, so undefined and independent of time-notion, cp. ch. Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 11:27, and Philippians 2:8-10. These words, in which the infallible King Himself announces His eternal possession of the Kingdom, St Matthew, who is essentially the historian of the Kingdom, alone records.
Matthew 28:19
- μαθητεύσατε. Make disciples of. Cp. Acts 14:21, μαθητεύσαντεςἱκανούς, and see ch. Matthew 13:52, Matthew 27:57, where the same word is used. διδάσκοντες, Matthew 28:20, = ‘instructing.’ ‘Make disciples of all the Gentiles πάντατὰἔθνη) by baptism and by instruction in all my commands to you’ (πάνταὅσαἐνετειλάμην).
εἰςτὸὄνομα. ‘Into the name.’ Jewish proselytes were baptized into the name of the Father; Jesus adds the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. In the instances of baptism recorded in the Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5, the name of Jesus Christ (or the Lord Jesus) alone occurs in the baptismal formula, but the promise of the Holy Ghost is given (Acts 2:38), or the gift of the Holy Ghost follows the rite (Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6), or precedes it (Acts 10:44; Acts 10:47).
Matthew 28:20
- μεθʼ ὑμῶνεἰμί. The Lord Jesus had already taught His disciples during the forty days how He could be present with them and yet be unseen by them. They could then the more easily believe this promise.
πάσαςτὰςἡμέρας. ‘All the days,’ not at intervals during the days (διʼ ἡμερῶντεσσεράκονταὀπτανόμενος, Acts 1:3), but continuously on each and all the days between now and the completion of the Æon.
ἕωςτήςκ.τ.λ. See note ch. Matthew 13:39. The last words of St Matthew’s Gospel fall solemnly on the ear, the sense of the continual presence of Christ is not broken even by an account of the Ascension. No true subject can doubt that the King is enthroned in Heaven.