24:2

In the Greek text, 24:2 begins with a common conjunction that can be translated in different ways. The Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions do not translate this conjunction. It introduces what the women saw when they arrived at the tomb. They did not expect to see that the heavy stone at the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away. Some other ways to introduce the verse are:

When they arrived there
-or-
As they approached the tomb

Begin the verse in a way that is natural in your language.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb: There is implied information here that is based on a Jewish burial custom. It was common for Jewish tombs to be closed with a large, heavy stone at the entrance. This verse implies that Jesus’ tomb was closed with a stone like that. The stone blocked the entrance so that no human or animal could disturb Jesus’ body. In some languages it may be necessary to give implied information about the stone. For example:

They found that the stone ⌊that had blocked⌋ the tomb ⌊entrance⌋ had been rolled aside/away.
-or-
They saw that ⌊someone⌋ had rolled the ⌊big, heavy⌋ stone from the entrance to the tomb.

You may also want to include more information about the stone in a footnote. For example, the TRT suggests this footnote:

A large disc-shaped stone was used to close the entrance/doorway of a tomb. According to Matthew 27:66, Jesus’ tomb was also sealed and guarded by soldiers. (Translator’s Reference Translation)

rolled away from the tomb: The phrase rolled away from the tomb indicates that someone had pushed the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. The edges of the stone were rounded so that it could roll when strong people pushed it. Matthew 28:2 indicates that the stone was still near the tomb, so your translation should not imply that it was taken away from the area or that it disappeared.

In some languages it may not be natural to use a verb like rolled in this context. If that is true in your language, you may use a more general expression. For example:

moved to the side of the tomb
-or-
removed from the entrance to the tomb

Matthew 28:2 also indicates that an angel rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb. You should not make that information explicit in your translation here, but you may want to mention it in a footnote or cross reference. For example, the TRT suggests this footnote:

According to Matthew 28:2, an angel rolled the stone away from the entrance/doorway to the tomb. (Translator’s Reference Translation)

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