Mark 16:3

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) And they said among themselves . . .—Literally, and they were saying to themselves. The words were on the point of rising to their lips as they looked up and saw the stone rolled away.

Benson Commentary

Mark 16:3-6. And they said, Who shall roll us away the stone — This seems to have been the only difficulty they apprehended. So they knew nothing of Pilate’s having sealed the stone, and placed a guard of soldiers there. And when they looked — Αναβλεψασαι, and having lifted up their eyes; they saw — Namely, before they arrived quite at the sepulchre; that the stone was rolled away — An angel having descended and done this, as is recorded Matthew 28:2; where see the note. For it was very great — These words, the reader will observe, should be read after the third verse, with which they are connected: an instance of a similar transposition was noted on Mark 11:13. And entering into the sepulchre they saw a young man, &c. — Matthew says, this was the angel, who had rolled away the stone, and frightened the guards from the sepulchre. It seems he had now laid aside the terrors in which he was arrayed, and assumed the form and dress of a human being, in order that when the women saw him, they might be as little terrified as possible. See note on Matthew 28:5-6. This is the appearance of the one angel which Matthew and Mark have described. The women, much encouraged by the agreeable news, as well as by the sweet accent with which the heavenly being spake, it seems, went down into the sepulchre, and lo, another angel appeared; this is the vision of the two angels, which Luke, Luke 24:3-4, has described as the principal vision. Probably the one sat at the head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. In which situation they showed themselves by-and-by to Mary Magdalene, John 20:12.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

16:1-8 Nicodemus brought a large quantity of spices, but these good women did not think that enough. The respect others show to Christ, should not hinder us from showing our respect. And those who are carried by holy zeal, to seek Christ diligently, will find the difficulties in their way speedily vanish. When we put ourselves to trouble and expense, from love to Christ, we shall be accepted, though our endeavours are not successful. The sight of the angel might justly have encouraged them, but they were affrighted. Thus many times that which should be matter of comfort to us, through our own mistake, proves a terror to us. He was crucified, but he is glorified. He is risen, he is not here, not dead, but alive again; hereafter you will see him, but you may here see the place where he was laid. Thus seasonable comforts will be sent to those that lament after the Lord Jesus. Peter is particularly named, Tell Peter; it will be most welcome to him, for he is in sorrow for sin. A sight of Christ will be very welcome to a true penitent, and a true penitent is very welcome to a sight of Christ. The men ran with all the haste they could to the disciples; but disquieting fears often hinder us from doing that service to Christ and to the souls of men, which, if faith and the joy of faith were strong, we might do.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 28:1-8.

Mark 16:1

Sweet spices - "Aromatics." Substances used in embalming. The idea of sweetness is not, however, implied in the original. Many of the substances used for embalming were "bitter" - as, for example, myrrh - and none of them, perhaps, could properly be called "sweet." The word "spices" expresses all that there is in the original.

Anoint him - Embalm him, or apply these spices to his body to keep it from putrefaction. This is proof that they did not suppose he would rise again; and the fact that they did not "expect" he would rise, gives more strength to the evidence for his resurrection.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. And they said among themselves—as they were approaching the sacred spot.

Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? … for it was very great—On reaching it they find their difficulty gone—the stone already rolled away by an unseen hand. And are there no others who, when advancing to duty in the face of appalling difficulties, find their stone also rolled away?

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 3,4. These were their thoughts as they were coming. Concerning the guard which they had set by Pilate’s permission at the importunity of the Jewish priests and rulers, it is probable (the day before being the Jewish sabbath, in the observation of which the Jews were very strict) they had not heard, so were not solicitious as to them; but they knew of the stone rolled to the mouth of the sepulchre: but they were in vain solicitous; when they came they found the stone rolled away, Christ was risen before.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And they said among themselves,.... Either before they set out, or as they were going along:

who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? Which they saw was placed there by Joseph, or his orders: this was the only difficulty they had, that they were aware of; for they seem to know nothing of the sealing of the stone, and of the watch that was set to guard the sepulchre: things which were done on the sabbath day, on which they rested: for had they, in all likelihood they would never have attempted to have gone to it; the guard of soldiers would have been a sufficient discouragement: but all their concern was, how, and by whom, the stone should be rolled away, that lay at the door of the sepulchre; and perhaps their concern might be, not only on account of the largeness of the stone, as being too much for them to remove, but because such a stone defiled by touching it, according to the Jewish traditions (i).

(i) Misn. Oholot, c. 2. sect 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 16:3. ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτάς: as they went to the sepulchre, they kept saying to each other (ad invicem, Vulg[163], πρὸς ἀλλήλας, Euthy.).—τίς ἀποκυλίσει: their only solicitude was about the stone at the sepulchre’s mouth: no thought of the guards in Mk.’s account. The pious women thought not of angelic help. Men had rolled the stone forward and could roll it back, but it was beyond woman’s strength.

[163] Vulgate (Jerome’s revision of old Latin version).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. And they said among themselves] Unaware of the deputation of the Jewish rulers, which had gone to Pilate, and secured the sealing of the Stone and the setting of the watch over the Tomb (Matthew 27:62-66), their only anxiety was, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

Bengel's Gnomen

Mark 16:3. Ἐκ, from) Therefore the sepulchre had been very securely guarded. The women, however, were not aware that it had been also sealed [Matthew 27:66].

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - And they were saying (ἔλεγον) among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb? The usual form of tombs in Palestine was the following: - There was generally an approach to the tomb open to the sky; then a low entrance on the side of the rock, leading into a square chamber, on one side of which was a recess for the body, about three feet deep, with a low arch over it. The stone here referred to by the women would be the stone which covered the actual entrance into the vault. It would probably be not less than six feet in breadth and three in height. This great stone had been rolled By Joseph to the mouth of the tomb; and then he had departed. Now, as the women approached, "they were saying (ἔλεγον,) among themselves, Who shall roll us away (ἀποκυλίσει) the stone?" They had seen the arrangements, and had observed the size of the atone on the Friday evening. (Mark 15:47). Mark 16:3

Vincent's Word Studies

Peculiar to Mark.