Matthew 28:3
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:3 is the third verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse is part of the resurrection
narrative. This verse describes the angel that arrived at the tomb of Jesus in the previous verse.
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 28:3
As with the great events of the previous verse, this verse serves to emphasize the importance of the figure and the events occurring here. The text makes clear the angel is an exalted figure and thus of great importance. The other gospels have a more muted description of the angel. Mark 16:5 and John 20:12
have the figure clad in white, while Luke 24:4 describes the clothes as dazzling. Perhaps combining the lightning face and white clothes of this verse.
The description of the angel has many parallels in the Old Testament
, and is another example of Matthew's fondness for scriptural references.
Daniel 10:6 mentions an angel with a face like lightning, and Ezekiel 1 associates lightning with the creatures surrounding God. Daniel 7:9 described God himself as appearing white as snow. These direct links to God shows to France that angels are more than mere messengers, but also have a theophonic
nature.
The description is also similar to that of the transfigured Christ at Matthew 17:2, but Boring notes that the angel is reduced in glory from Jesus in that verse, showing his more divine nature. Jesus is also described as being white as snow in Revelation 1:14. White is the standard colour of purity in both the Old and New Testaments, and was in the culture of the period as well. Jewish rabbis, Egyptian priests, and pious worshippers were all normally clad in white in this period.
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. This verse describes the angel that arrived at the tomb of Jesus in the previous verse.
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:
- ην δε η ειδεα αυτου ως αστραπη
- και το ενδυμα αυτου λευκον ως χιων
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- His countenance was like lightning,
- and his raiment white as snow:
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:
- His appearance was like lightning,
- and his clothing white as snow.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:3
As with the great events of the previous verse, this verse serves to emphasize the importance of the figure and the events occurring here. The text makes clear the angel is an exalted figure and thus of great importance. The other gospels have a more muted description of the angel. Mark 16:5 and John 20:12
John 20:12
John 20:12 is the twelfth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John. Mary Magdalene is peering into the empty tomb of Jesus and sees two angels....
have the figure clad in white, while Luke 24:4 describes the clothes as dazzling. Perhaps combining the lightning face and white clothes of this verse.
The description of the angel has many parallels in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, and is another example of Matthew's fondness for scriptural references.
Daniel 10:6 mentions an angel with a face like lightning, and Ezekiel 1 associates lightning with the creatures surrounding God. Daniel 7:9 described God himself as appearing white as snow. These direct links to God shows to France that angels are more than mere messengers, but also have a theophonic
Theophany
Theophany, from the Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of God"), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being, or to a divine disclosure....
nature.
The description is also similar to that of the transfigured Christ at Matthew 17:2, but Boring notes that the angel is reduced in glory from Jesus in that verse, showing his more divine nature. Jesus is also described as being white as snow in Revelation 1:14. White is the standard colour of purity in both the Old and New Testaments, and was in the culture of the period as well. Jewish rabbis, Egyptian priests, and pious worshippers were all normally clad in white in this period.