Matthew 28:16
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:16 is the sixteenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse opens the final scene of the gospel, Jesus' resurrection
appearance before his disciples in Galilee.
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 28:16
The count of disciples is down to eleven, reduced by the betrayal and death of Judas
. Eleven is a very specific number, not one like 12 or 40 that in this period could also stand for an approximate number. There are an array of different resurrection appearances of Jesus in the New Testament. To rationalize them, some authors have attempted to combine some of the appearances. France notes that the specific number makes that far more difficult, for instance this thus can't be an account of the same appearance as 1 Corinthians 15:6 which mentions hundreds of followers being present.
The disciples are now back in Galilee
, obeying Jesus' instructions at Matthew 26:32 and to the women at 28:7
and 28:10
. There is not mention of the women delivering their message, but the presence of the disciples in Galilee implies that they did so successfully.
None of the previous commands had mentioned specifically that they should go to a mountain. Nolland notes that the verse could also be interpreted as reading "the mountain where Jesus had commanded them." Thus rather than Jesus dispatching them here, this could be the mountain of the Sermon on the Mount
of Matthew 5:1, from which Jesus had earlier issued his commands. Mountains have consistently been the site of great events in the Gospel of Matthew, with 14:23 and 17:1 also mentioning mountain settings. Mountains were also of much importance in the Old Testament
.
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 opens the final scene of the gospel, Jesus' 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...
appearance before his disciples in Galilee.
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:
- οι δε ενδεκα μαθηται επορευθησαν εις την γαλιλαιαν
- εις το ορος ου εταξατο αυτοις ο ιησους
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee,
- into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
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:
- But the eleven disciples went into Galilee,
- to the mountain where Jesus had sent them.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:16
The count of disciples is down to eleven, reduced by the betrayal and death of Judas
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
. Eleven is a very specific number, not one like 12 or 40 that in this period could also stand for an approximate number. There are an array of different resurrection appearances of Jesus in the New Testament. To rationalize them, some authors have attempted to combine some of the appearances. France notes that the specific number makes that far more difficult, for instance this thus can't be an account of the same appearance as 1 Corinthians 15:6 which mentions hundreds of followers being present.
The disciples are now back in 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...
, obeying Jesus' instructions at Matthew 26:32 and to the women at 28:7
Matthew 28:7
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...
and 28:10
Matthew 28:10
Matthew 28:10 is the tenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative...
. There is not mention of the women delivering their message, but the presence of the disciples in Galilee implies that they did so successfully.
None of the previous commands had mentioned specifically that they should go to a mountain. Nolland notes that the verse could also be interpreted as reading "the mountain where Jesus had commanded them." Thus rather than Jesus dispatching them here, this could be the mountain of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
of Matthew 5:1, from which Jesus had earlier issued his commands. Mountains have consistently been the site of great events in the Gospel of Matthew, with 14:23 and 17:1 also mentioning mountain settings. Mountains were also of much importance 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...
.