Section 20:1–10

Jesus’ body was not in the tomb

This section tells how Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb on Sunday morning and found that it was empty. So she went and told Peter and another disciple and they went to the tomb with Mary. They also saw that the body of Jesus was not there. All that they found were the cloths that had been around Jesus’ body. When the second disciple, probably John, saw, he believed.

Here are other possible section headings:

The resurrection of Jesus
-or-
Three of Jesus’ followers went to the tomb but it was empty
-or-
The empty tomb

Paragraph 20:1–2

Very early on the Sunday morning after Jesus’ death, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb. She saw that the tomb was open, and she ran and told two disciples, Peter and probably John.

20:1a

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark: This time expression introduces the story of how Jesus’ followers learned that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive. It introduces this story by indicating the day and time of day. So this is the introduction to the climax or most important part of the book. Consider how it is natural to lead up to a significant change or climax. It may be natural to use short clauses or sentences, adding verbs. For example:

The first day of the week began. It was still dark when…
-or-
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark.
-or-
The first day of the week arrived/began. It was not yet dawn.

See the General Comment following 20:1b for suggestions of how to rearrange this information.

Early…while it was still dark: The story begins very early in the morning, before the sun rose. See also Matthew 28:1. Use the expression that is natural in your culture to indicate this time period. It may be natural to combine the two expressions Early and while it was still dark. For example:

In the darkness of the early morning
-or-
Before the sun rose

Early: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Early here refers to a time at the beginning of a morning. It does not have the meaning “too soon.” In some languages it may be natural to say:

Early ⌊in the morning⌋
-or-
At the start of the day

while it was still dark: This clause indicates that it was still so early that people could not see well. Translate this in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

before it was light
-or-
before becoming light
-or-
the sun had not yet risen

on the first day of the week: The Jews began their week with Sunday and ended it with Saturday. So the phrase the first day of the week refers to Sunday. You may want to include this information. It is important to do this if your readers consider that another day is the first day of the week. For example:

on Sunday morning (God’s Word)

If you use footnotes, you may want to translate literally and indicate in a footnote that this refers to Sunday. For example:

This refers to Sunday.

20:1b

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb: One of Jesus’ followers, Mary Magdalene, arrived at the cave where Jesus was buried. She probably traveled on foot, walking from the place where she was staying. The distance was likely less than a mile. Use the verb that is most natural in your language. For example:

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Mary Magdalene went walking to the burial cave.

Mary Magdalene: Mary Magdalene was present at the cross and watched Joseph and Nicodemus bury Jesus (Matthew 27:56, 61, Mark 15:47). The word Magdalene means “from the village called Magdala.” Translate this name as you did in 19:25. For example:

Mary of Magdala (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Mariyam, the woman from Magdala (Yakan Back translation)

In your translation of this phrase, be aware that Mary did not come from Magdala that morning. She was originally from Magdala, but was probably staying in a house in Jerusalem. She did not have to go far to get to the tomb. It was in a garden close to the place where they crucified Jesus (19:41–42), which was just outside Jerusalem.

the tomb: The word tomb refers to the place where Jesus had been buried. Tombs in Jerusalem were usually man-made caves cut into the sides of rocky hills. Inside was a stone shelf for the body. The entrance to the tomb was a large hole that could be closed with a round stone. See how you translated the word tomb in 19:41b, 42b. Because this is the beginning of a new chapter, it may be natural to indicate which tomb this was. For example:

⌊Jesus’⌋ tomb
-or-
the tomb ⌊where they had buried/placed Jesus⌋

General Comment on 20:1a–b

In some languages it may be natural to rearrange the information in these verse parts. For example:

1a–b Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. (English Standard Version)
-or-

1a–b Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark. (New Century Version)

20:1c

and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance: Mary Magdalene saw that there was no stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. The hole that formed the entrance was open. Apparently the stone was now lying nearby (see Matthew 28:2). Mary understood that someone must have moved the stone. In some languages it is more natural to say what she actually saw. For example:

saw that the entrance of the tomb ⌊was now open⌋ . Someone had removed the stone.
-or-
saw that the stone was no longer in its place ⌊in front of the entrance⌋ to the tomb

This clause tells a very important part of the story in the book of John. What it tells is not expected. It may be natural to translate this important information as a separate sentence or sentences. For example:

Mary saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
-or-
What she saw was that the tomb was open. The stone no longer covered ⌊the entrance hole⌋ .
-or-
Into her view/sight came/appeared the tomb. There was no stone ⌊at its entrance⌋ . It had been rolled away.

the stone had been removed from the entrance: This is a passive clause. An angel had moved the stone (Matthew 28:2), but Mary did not know this. It happened before she arrived (Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2). There are at least two ways to translate this clause:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

the stone had been moved away from the tomb (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Use an active verb. For example:

Someone had rolled the stone away from the entrance.
-or-
The stone was no longer in front of the entrance to the tomb.
-or-
The stone was gone from the entrance hole to the tomb

stone: This word here refers to the large round stone that was used to close the entrance. Because this is the first time John mentioned the stone, it may be natural to tell what stone this is. For example:

the stone ⌊that was at the entrance to the tomb⌋

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that the stone was large. It was so large that a person could not easily move it. For example:

the large stone (New Century Version)

from the entrance: This phrase here means “from the entrance to the tomb.” This entrance had been covered by a large stone or rock. The entrance was shorter than a door, but an adult man could enter if he stooped or bent down. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

from the entrance of the tomb/cave
-or-
from the hole where one entered the tomb/cave

General Comment on 20:1a–c

In some languages it may be natural to translate this verse using two or more sentences. Increase the tension and sense of mystery in a natural way before the mystery is solved. For example:

The first day of the week began to dawn. It was still dark out, but Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb. There she saw that the stone that had covered ⌊the entrance⌋ was gone!
-or-
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb. (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary from Magdala went to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb’s entrance. (God’s Word)

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