Mark 16:2-8 · Bible study
Mark 16:2-8 Commentary: The Empty Tomb and the Beginning of Faith
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Mark's account of the women at the tomb: the timing, the angel's message, the special mention of Peter, and why they fled in fear.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The women discover the empty tomb, hear the resurrection announcement, and are commissioned to tell the disciples, especially Peter, but flee in fear.
- Key words: very early (πρωῒ, prōi) emphasizes the first day of week; they were greatly amazed (ἐξεθαμβήθησαν) captures overwhelming wonder; amazement (ἔκστασις) means a displacement of the mind.
- Main debate: Whether the women's silence was a failure of faith or a natural human response to divine encounter, and how to harmonize the timing (dawn vs. still dark in John).
- Theological theme: Resurrection power breaks into human expectation; grace singles out the fallen (Peter); the first witnesses are women; fear and faith intermingle at the start of the church.
- Best use: Easter sermons, small-group studies on the resurrection, pastoral care about overcoming fear, and teaching on God's faithfulness to restore.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.
3They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.
5When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
7But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
8So the women left the tomb and ran away, trembling and bewildered. And in their fear they did not say a word to anyone.
WEB World English Bible 2000
2Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
4for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.
5Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
6He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him!
7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’”
8They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.
KJV King James Version 1769
2And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
2And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen.
3And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb?
4and looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great.
5And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
6And he saith unto them, Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who hath been crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold, the place where they laid him!
7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8And they went out, and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them: and they said nothing to any one; for they were afraid.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
2and early in the morning of the first of the sabbaths, they come unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun,
3and they said among themselves, `Who shall roll away for us the stone out of the door of the sepulchre?'
4And having looked, they see that the stone hath been rolled away--for it was very great,
5and having entered into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right hand, arrayed in a long white robe, and they were amazed.
6And he saith to them, `Be not amazed, ye seek Jesus the Nazarene, the crucified: he did rise--he is not here; lo, the place where they laid him!
7and go, say to his disciples, and Peter, that he doth go before you to Galilee; there ye shall see him, as he said to you.'
8And, having come forth quickly, they fled from the sepulchre, and trembling and amazement had seized them, and to no one said they anything, for they were afraid.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
2And very early on the first [day] of the week they come to the sepulchre, the sun having risen.
3And they said to one another, Who shall roll us away the stone out of the door of the sepulchre?
4And when they looked, they see that the stone has been rolled [away], for it was very great.
5And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed and alarmed;
6but he says to them, Be not alarmed. Ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, the crucified one. He is risen, he is not here; behold the place where they had put him.
7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, he goes before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said to you.
8And they went out, and fled from the sepulchre. And trembling and excessive amazement possessed them, and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
2And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen.
3And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great.
5And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished.
6Who saith to them: Be not affrighted. you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen: he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There you shall see him, as he told you.
8But they going out, fled from the sepulchre: for a trembling and fear had seized them. And they said nothing to any man: for they were afraid.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Mark 16:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that Mark 16:2-8 presents the first human encounter with the empty tomb, not as a triumphant arrival but as a scene of confusion and fear. The women come expecting to anoint a dead body, bringing spices purchased after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1). Their only concern is who will roll away the large stone (v.3). When they arrive, they find the stone already removed, see a young man in white within the tomb, and hear the announcement: He has risen! He is not here (v.6). The angel then instructs them to tell the disciples, and Peter explicitly, that Jesus is going ahead of them to Galilee. The passage ends not with joyful proclamation but with the women fleeing in trembling and terror, saying nothing to anyone because they were afraid (v.8).
Matthew Henry notes the devotion of the women, who came despite their sorrow. Barnes and Clarke emphasize that the special mention of Peter is a mark of Jesus' mercy and restoration after his denial. Calvin observes that the women's focus on the stone shows they had no expectation of resurrection, and their natural fear and silence reflect human weakness. Across traditions, the passage is read as a historically grounded witness: the tomb was empty, the announcement came from a divine messenger, and the first news of the resurrection was entrusted to women, a detail that carries both historical credibility and pastoral significance.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Harmonizing timing with John: Mark says 'when the sun had risen'; John says 'while it was still dark.' Solutions: sequential visits (women at dawn, Mary earlier) or approximate language (very early morning).
- Women's silence as disobedience vs. awe: Lange argues the silence was temporary indecision; others note that fear and ecstasy (ekstasis) indicate they were overwhelmed, not disobedient. The other gospels show they eventually spoke.
- Theological ending of Mark: If Mark originally ended at 16:8, the abruptness forces the reader to confront the resurrection without human corroboration and respond in faith.
What is clear: The empty tomb, the angelic announcement that Jesus has risen, and the command to tell the disciples and Peter are accepted as historical claims central to Christian faith.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Timing of the women's visit | All major traditions agree the visit occurred early on the first day of the week after the Sabbath. | Mark says 'when the sun had risen'; John 20:1 says 'while it was still dark.' Some harmonize by saying the women set out in darkness and arrived at dawn (Wesley, Barnes). Others see the timing as approximate or Mark using a more general sense of early morning. |
| The identity of the young man | Christian tradition universally identifies the young man as an angel, based on parallel gospel accounts (Matthew 28:2 describes an angel). | None significant; the white robe and supernatural message confirm angelic identity. |
| The specific mention of Peter | Peter is singled out for special notice as an act of restoration after his denial, demonstrating Jesus' mercy. | Clarke views it as Peter having 'forfeited his discipleship' and now being readmitted. Barnes sees it as a special message of forgiveness, not implying Peter was no longer a disciple. Gill says it was to comfort him, not to distinguish him as chief. |
| The women's fearful silence (v.8) | The women did not speak to anyone as they fled in fear; this is historically recorded. | Some see a contradiction with Matthew and Luke, where the women do report. Lange suggests Mark emphasizes their initial indecision and that later they did report. Others argue Mark's ending is deliberately abrupt to highlight the overwhelming nature of the resurrection. |
| Ending of Mark's gospel | Mark 16:8 is the last verse in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. | Some traditions accept the longer ending (vv.9-20) as canonical; many scholars argue it was added later. The Roman Catholic Church accepts the longer ending as part of the canon; Protestant and Orthodox traditions vary in their view of its authority. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Mark 16:2-8 describes events that occurred just after the Sabbath ended. The women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had prepared aromatic spices for burial the previous evening after sunset, when the Sabbath was officially over. Jewish burial customs involved anointing the body with spices to mask the odor of decay, a process that would have been interrupted by the approaching Sabbath on Friday evening. The women's visit at dawn on the first day of the week demonstrates their continued devotion, though they clearly did not expect the resurrection.
The timing in Mark, very early... when the sun had risen (v.2), has been harmonized with John 20:1, which says Mary Magdalene came while it was still dark. Most commentators, including Wesley and Barnes, resolve the difference by noting that the women set out from their homes in the dark and arrived at the tomb as dawn broke. Mark's emphasis on the rising sun underscores the new beginning: the first day of the week, later called the Lord's Day, becomes the Christian day of worship in commemoration of the resurrection. The Cambridge Bible notes that the phrase first day of the week echoes the creation narrative and signals a new creation.
The tomb was hewn from rock, with a large stone rolled into a groove before the entrance (Mark 15:46; Matthew 27:60). The stone's size was a practical concern for the women, as they discuss among themselves (v.3). That the stone had already been rolled away, by an angel, as Matthew reports, shows that God had already resolved their problem. The women enter the tomb, a detail that indicates these tombs were large enough to stand in, often with ledges where bodies were laid. The young man seated on the right side, dressed in a white robe, is understood to be an angel. The white robe signifies heavenly glory and purity, common in angelic appearances in Scripture.
Culturally, the testimony of women was considered less reliable than that of men in first-century Jewish society. That the gospel accounts place women as the first witnesses to the resurrection is striking. It would have been an apologetic liability if invented, lending the account strong historical credibility. The angel's command to tell his disciples and Peter (v.7) carries special weight: Peter, who had denied Jesus, is singled out by name, a gesture of forgiveness and restoration that all commentators emphasize. The women's initial silence due to fear (v.8) is not presented as disobedience but as a realistic human response to an overwhelming divine encounter.
Textual Notes
The earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts of Mark's Gospel (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus) end at verse 8. The words for they were afraid conclude the passage. A longer ending (verses 9-20) appears in later manuscripts, but Vincent's Word Studies notes that 'by a large number of ablest modern critics the remainder of this chapter is held to be from some other hand than Mark's.' For our passage (16:2-8), the textual tradition is stable, with only minor variations: some manuscripts omit the word 'quickly' in verse 8, and one early Latin manuscript places the explanatory clause 'for it was very great' after verse 3 rather than verse 4. These do not affect the meaning.
Reception History
Mark 16:2-8 has been central to the Easter liturgy across Christian traditions, read as the gospel on Easter Sunday in many lectionaries. The women's role as the first witnesses has been highlighted in patristic and medieval commentary as a sign of God's choice of the lowly. John Chrysostom and Augustine both drew attention to the angel's command to 'tell his disciples and Peter' as evidence of Christ's mercy toward the fallen. In Protestant Reformation theology, the passage was used to emphasize faith in the resurrection over human works, the women's intent to anoint a dead body was seen as misguided devotion corrected by grace. In art, the scene of the angel at the empty tomb appears in countless depictions, often emphasizing the astonishment of the women. The abrupt ending has generated discussion about Mark's literary purpose: some see it as a call for the reader to supply the missing proclamation, taking the message beyond the tomb into the world.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Devotion meets divine intervention, The women come to honor a dead Jesus, but God has already rolled away the stone. Our best intentions are met by God's greater action.
- The announcement of resurrection, The angel's words are the core gospel: Jesus is not dead but alive. The crucified Nazarene has risen. This changes everything.
- From fear to gathering, The women flee in fear, but this is not the end. The message gets through (the other Gospels show they eventually speak). Sincere faith often begins with trembling before it becomes proclamation.
Five-point outline
- The women's journey: practical love for Jesus, even in sorrow.
- The obstacle they expected: the stone. God's provision removes it.
- The empty tomb and the angel's word: He is risen, not here.
- The commission: tell the disciples, and especially Peter, the fallen one.
- The response: fear and silence, yet this is the beginning of the church's witness.
Illustration hooks
- The locked door: You face a problem that seems impossible, like a huge stone in front of your path. Then you arrive and find it already moved. Think of prayers answered before you even finish asking.
- The private message: Imagine someone who has hurt you receives a special message from you, saying, "I want you included." That is what Jesus does for Peter. Grace singles out the one who feels unworthy.
- Overwhelmed by good news: When something too wonderful happens, people can freeze or feel afraid. The women's response is natural. Hope can be scarier than despair because it asks us to trust again.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does Mark's gospel end so abruptly with the women afraid? Doesn't that feel incomplete?
- What does it mean that Jesus goes before us into Galilee? Is that just for the disciples then, or for us too?
- If the women were afraid and silent, how did the news of the resurrection spread?
Leading a Discussion
This passage invites us to stand with the women at the empty tomb. They have every reason to expect a dead body, spice-wrapped and sealed behind a stone. Instead, they find an open grave and a messenger who tells them that the one they seek is alive. Their fear and silence are honest reactions to something beyond their experience. As you work through these questions, notice where your own expectations meet God's surprises.
Discussion questions
- Read Mark 16:1-8. Why do you think the women went to the tomb? What did they expect to find?
- Verse 3 records their worry about the stone. What "stones" have you faced in your life, obstacles you thought were too big to overcome?
- The angel says, "He is not here." What does that statement mean for how we think about death and hope?
- Why do you think Peter is named separately in verse 7? How does that shape your understanding of Jesus' forgiveness?
- The women said nothing to anyone because they were afraid (v.8). How does fear sometimes stop us from sharing good news?
- Compare Mark's account with Matthew 28:8 or Luke 24:9-10. Do you think the women eventually obeyed the angel's command? What does that say about God's ability to work through our weakness?
- Mark ends his gospel (according to the earliest manuscripts) with verse 8. How does that affect the way you read the whole story of Jesus?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 28:1 | Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
| Luke 24:1 | But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. |
| Luke 24:10 | Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles. |
| John 20:1 | Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. |
| Matthew 27:60 | and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. |
| Matthew 27:66 | So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone. |
| Mark 15:46 | He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. |
| Mark 15:47 | Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that the angel's instruction to name Peter separately is a special act of kindness from Jesus. Peter had denied him, yet Jesus sent a personal message to assure him of forgiveness and continued love. This shows that Christ's mercy reaches even those who have deeply failed.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin points out that the women's holy zeal made them forget the stone blocking the tomb, so they arrived without a plan.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary draws attention to Mark's vivid, present-tense narration, which places the reader at the tomb alongside the women. It highlights their initial anxiety about the stone, their terror at finding it already rolled away, and the angel's specific instruction to tell Peter—a personal touch the commentator sees as a treasured detail from the apostle himself.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill connects the timing of the resurrection to Christ as the "Sun of Righteousness" and "morning star," drawing on the title of Psalm 22. He also highlights the angel's specific instruction to "tell his disciples and Peter" as a deliberate comfort to Peter after his denial, showing Christ's personal grace.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that Mark alone records the angel appearing as a young man, sitting on the right side of the tomb. The detail "tell his disciples and Peter" is especially poignant, preserved only here because this Gospel relies on Peter's own account. The women find their difficulty already removed by an unseen hand.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a sharp contrast between that Sabbath and every other: for Christ it was a silent rest, for his disciples a day of grief, and for the chief priests an abomination, still stained with his blood. He then marks the first day of the week as the start of a new world. The women's visit was genuine devotion, not empty superstition.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes that Mark uses a particular Greek phrase for "when the sun was risen" that no other Gospel writer includes. He draws a careful distinction between the women's initial amazement and the fear that overtakes them, seeing the wonder gradually give way to terror.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the precise timing: the women arrived at the tomb as dawn broke, unaware that Pilate had sealed the stone and posted guards. Their only worry was rolling the stone away. He notes Peter's inclusion among the first witnesses despite his denials, calling it amazing goodness.