24:1a

In the Greek text, 24:1a begins with a common conjunction that is translated in different ways. Here it introduces what the women did after the Sabbath (23:56c). They had to rest on the Sabbath, but they returned to the tomb very early the next morning. Connect the verses in a way that is natural in your language. In some languages a conjunction is not needed.

On the first day of the week: The Jews consider the day after the Sabbath to be the first day of the week. Since the Sabbath is on Saturday, the first day of the week is called Sunday in English. In some cultures Sunday is not considered the first day of the week. If that is true in your culture, you may need to include a footnote about this. For example:

The Jews considered Sunday to be the first day of the week.

In some languages it may be helpful to include the word Sunday in the translation, as several English versions do. For example:

on Sunday morning (God’s Word)

very early in the morning: The phrase very early in the morning probably refers to the time before the sun rises when there is a little light. The women probably started walking to the tomb as soon as it was light enough for them to see. Use a natural way in your language to refer to this time of day. Another way to translate the phrase in English is:

at early dawn (NET Bible)

24:1b–c

the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared: In Greek this statement is more literally, “to the tomb they came bringing spices that they prepared.” It indicates that the women went to Jesus’ tomb, and they brought spices with them. Some other ways to translate the statement are:

…the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. (New Century Version)
-or-
…the women went to the tomb. They were carrying the spices that they had prepared. (God’s Word)

the women: The women who went to the tomb had come with Jesus from Galilee. They were mentioned in 23:55a. Some of them are named in 24:10. Refer to them here in a natural way in your language. Another way to refer to them is:

those women

came to the tomb: The women returned to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. (See 23:55c.) You should translate the word tomb in the same way as you did there.

This is the first time that the tomb has been mentioned in this section. In some languages it may be natural to refer to it with a more specific phrase. For example:

and they returned to the tomb ⌊where Jesus had been buried⌋
-or-
and went again to that grave/place ⌊where people/they laid Jesus’ body⌋

the spices they had prepared: The phrase the spices they had prepared refers to the fragrant ointments and oils that the women had prepared before the Sabbath. These spices were mentioned in 23:56. See the notes at 23:56b, and translate the phrase in a similar way here.

General Comment on 24:1b–c

The Berean Standard Bible follows the order of the Greek text. However, in some languages, it may be more natural to reverse the order of 24:1b and 24:1c. For example:

^1cthe women took the spice they had prepared, ^1band went to the tomb (New International Version)

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