Matthew 27:66
New International Version
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

New Living Translation
So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

English Standard Version
So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Berean Standard Bible
So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

Berean Literal Bible
And having gone with the guard, they made the tomb secure, having sealed the stone.

King James Bible
So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

New King James Version
So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

New American Standard Bible
And they went and made the tomb secure with the guard, sealing the stone.

NASB 1995
And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

NASB 1977
And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

Legacy Standard Bible
And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

Amplified Bible
So they went and made the tomb secure, and along with [stationing] a guard of soldiers [to be on watch] they set a seal on the stone.

Christian Standard Bible
They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.

American Standard Version
So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.

Contemporary English Version
So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it.

English Revised Version
So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So they went to secure the tomb. They placed a seal on the stone and posted the soldiers on guard duty.

Good News Translation
So they left and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and leaving the guard on watch.

International Standard Version
So they went and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone in the presence of the guards.

Majority Standard Bible
So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

NET Bible
So they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

New Heart English Bible
So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

Webster's Bible Translation
So they went, and having sealed the stone, made the sepulcher secure with a watch.

Weymouth New Testament
So they went and made the sepulchre secure, sealing the stone besides setting the guard.

World English Bible
So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and they, having gone, made the grave secure, having sealed the stone, together with the guard.

Berean Literal Bible
And having gone with the guard, they made the tomb secure, having sealed the stone.

Young's Literal Translation
and they, having gone, did make the sepulchre secure, having sealed the stone, together with the watch.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they, having gone, rendered the tomb secure, having sealed the stone with the watch.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they departing, made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting guards.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then, going out, they secured the sepulcher with guards, sealing the stone.

New American Bible
So they went and secured the tomb by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.

New Revised Standard Version
So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So they went and kept a watch at the tomb, and together with the guards they sealed the stone.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But they went to guard the tomb, and they together with the guards sealed the stone.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And they went and made the sepulcher safe, by placing a seal upon the stone, and setting the guard.

Godbey New Testament
And having gone, they secured the tomb, sealing the stone, with the guard.

Haweis New Testament
So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting a seal upon the stone, after placing the guard.

Mace New Testament
accordingly they went, and having clapt a seal upon the stone, they posted a guard to secure the sepulchre.

Weymouth New Testament
So they went and made the sepulchre secure, sealing the stone besides setting the guard.

Worrell New Testament
And, going, they made the sepulchre secure, sealing the stone, in connection with the guard.

Worsley New Testament
So they went and made the sepulchre safe, sealing the stone, and setting a guard to watch it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Guards at the Tomb
65“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

Cross References
Matthew 28:2-4
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. / His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. / The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.

John 19:38-42
Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body. / Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. / So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. ...

Mark 15:46-47
So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. / Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.

Luke 23:53-56
Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid. / It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning. / The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was placed. ...

John 20:1-2
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. / So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

Acts 2:24
But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, / that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.

Psalm 16:10
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

Isaiah 53:9
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Daniel 6:17
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed.

John 11:38-44
Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. / “Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.” / Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ...

Acts 13:29-30
When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. / But God raised Him from the dead,

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

Hebrews 13:20
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,


Treasury of Scripture

So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

and made.

sealing.

Daniel 6:17
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Jump to Previous
Besides Body Grave Guard Posting Putting Safe Seal Sealed Sealing Secure Secured Sepulcher Sepulchre Setting Stamp Stone Sure Together Tomb Watch Watchmen
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Besides Body Grave Guard Posting Putting Safe Seal Sealed Sealing Secure Secured Sepulcher Sepulchre Setting Stamp Stone Sure Together Tomb Watch Watchmen
Matthew 27
1. Jesus is delivered bound to Pilate.
3. Judas hangs himself.
19. Pilate, admonished of his wife,
20. and being urged by the multitude, washes his hands, and releases Barabbas.
27. Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns;
33. crucified;
39. reviled;
50. dies, and is buried;
62. his tomb is sealed and watched.














So they went
This phrase indicates the immediate action taken by the chief priests and Pharisees after their request to Pilate. The Greek word for "went" (πορευθέντες, poreuthentes) implies a deliberate and purposeful movement. This reflects their determination to ensure that Jesus' prophecy of rising on the third day would not be fulfilled, highlighting their persistent unbelief and fear of His influence even after His death.

secured the tomb
The act of securing the tomb was a measure taken to prevent any tampering with Jesus' body. The Greek word for "secured" (ἠσφαλίσαντο, esphalisanto) suggests making something safe or certain. Historically, this was a common practice to prevent grave robbery, which was a concern in ancient times. This action underscores the irony that their efforts to prevent deception only served to authenticate the miraculous resurrection.

by sealing the stone
Sealing the stone involved placing a seal, likely a cord with wax or clay, across the stone that covered the entrance of the tomb. The Greek word for "sealing" (σφραγίσαντες, sphragisantes) indicates an official act, often used to denote authority and authenticity. This seal was a Roman seal, representing the power of the empire, and breaking it would have been a serious offense. This act was meant to deter any tampering, yet it ultimately served to confirm the divine power that would soon roll the stone away.

and posting the guard
The guard, likely a group of Roman soldiers, was stationed to watch over the tomb. The Greek word for "guard" (κουστωδίαν, koustodian) refers to a custodian or a watch. This was an extraordinary measure, as guards were not typically posted at tombs. The presence of the guard highlights the extent of the religious leaders' anxiety and the lengths they went to in order to suppress the truth of Jesus' resurrection. Ironically, the guard's presence would later serve as a witness to the miraculous event they were meant to prevent.

(66) Sealing the stone.--The opening of the tomb had been already closed by the stone which had been rolled so as to fill, or nearly fill, it. The sealing was probably effected by drawing one or more ropes across the stone and fastening either end to the rock with wax or cement of some kind.

And setting a watch.--Better, with the guard. What is meant is that the priests were not content to leave the work to the soldiers, but actually took part in it themselves.

Verse 66. - So they (οἱ δὲ, and they) went. They left the procurator's presence, relieved at having gained their request and precluded all fear of collusion. Sealing the stone, and setting a watch (μετὰ τῆς κουστωδίας, with the watch; cum custodibus). The last words are variously rendered. Thus: "scaled the stone by means of the watch" (Alford); "scaling the stone, the guard being with them" (Revised Version); "as well as having the watch" (Webster and Wilkinson); "in concert with the guard" (Morison). This last expositor has best seized the complex notion contained in the evangelist's language: "They made the sepulchre sure by sealing the stone in concert with the guard (and thereafter leaving the guard to keep watch)." The stone was sealed probably in this manner: a cord was passed round the stone that closed the mouth of the sepulchre to the two sides of the entrance; this was scaled with wax or prepared clay in the centre and at the ends, so that the stone could not be removed without breaking the seals or the cord (comp. Daniel 6:17). Thus carefully did Christ's enemies obviate the possibility of any fraud or collusion; thus did they themselves prove unanswerably the truth and reality of the resurrection of that same Jesus whoso dead body they so carefully guarded. "Everywhere deceit recoils upon itself, and. against its will supports the truth. It was necessary for it to be believed that he died, and that he rose again, and that he was buried, and all these things are brought to pass by his enemies .... The proof of his resurrection has become incontrovertible by what ye [his enemies] have put forward. For because it was sealed, there was no unfair dealing. But if there was no unfair dealing, and the sepulchre was found empty, it is manifest that he is risen, plainly and incontrovertibly. Seest thou how even against their will they contend for the proof of the truth?" (St. Chrysostom, in loc.).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
So
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

they went [and]
πορευθέντες (poreuthentes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4198: To travel, journey, go, die.

secured the tomb
ἠσφαλίσαντο (ēsphalisanto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 805: To make safe (secure, fast). From asphales; to render secure.

by sealing
σφραγίσαντες (sphragisantes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4972: To seal, set a seal upon. From sphragis; to stamp for security or preservation; by implication, to keep secret, to attest.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

stone
λίθον (lithon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3037: A stone; met: of Jesus as the chief stone in a building. Apparently a primary word; a stone.

[and posting]
μετὰ (meta)
Preposition
Strong's 3326: (a) gen: with, in company with, (b) acc: (1) behind, beyond, after, of place, (2) after, of time, with nouns, neut. of adjectives.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

guard.
κουστωδίας (koustōdias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2892: A guard, watch. Of Latin origin; 'custody', i.e. A Roman sentry.


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Matthew 27:65
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