Discovery BoxMatthew 27:55-61 
Context27:55 Many 1 women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support 2 were also there, watching from a distance. 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
27:57 Now 3 when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 4 27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 5 Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 27:59 Joseph 6 took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 7 27:60 and placed it 8 in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. 9 Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance 10 of the tomb and went away. 27:61 (Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)
1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 tn Grk “and ministered to him.”
sn Cf. Luke 8:3.
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
4 sn Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, his actions regarding Jesus’ burial suggest otherwise.
5 sn Asking for the body of Jesus was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51). He did this because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial.
6 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
7 tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.
8 tc ‡ αὐτό (auto, “it”) is found after ἔθηκεν (eqhken, “placed”) in the majority of witnesses, including many important ones, though it seems to be motivated by a need for clarification and cannot therefore easily explain the rise of the shorter reading (which is read by א L Θ Ë13 33 892 pc). Regardless of which reading is original (though with a slight preference for the shorter reading), English style requires the pronoun. NA27 includes αὐτό here, no doubt due to the overwhelming external attestation.
9 tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.25).
10 tn Or “to the door,” “against the door.”
