Matthew 27:52

Matthew 27:52 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
• New International Version (NIV)and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
• New King James Version (NKJV)and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

Context of Matthew 27:52

50Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. 51Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split apart. And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised. 53(They came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.) 54Now when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, “Truly this one was God’s Son!”

Matthew 27:52 word by word

καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the gravesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the gravesμνημεῖονmnēmeion · graveG3419
• were openedἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
• manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• bodiesσῶμαsōma · bodyG4983
• of the saintsἅγιοςhagios · holy: saintG40
• which sleptκοιμάωkoimaō · to sleepG2837
• aroseἐγείρωegeirō · to ariseG1453

Cross-references for Matthew 27:52

• Isaiah 25:8he will swallow up death permanently. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it!
• Isaiah 26:19Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits.
• Hosea 13:14Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion!
• John 5:25I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
• 1 Corinthians 15:20But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
• Daniel 12:2Many of those who sleep in the dusty ground will awake – some to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence.
• 1 Corinthians 11:30That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead.
• 1 Corinthians 15:51Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed –
• 1 Thessalonians 4:14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:10He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life together with him.

Commentaries on Matthew 27:52

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 52And the graves were opened - By the earthquake; and many bodies of saints which slept, i.e. were dead, sleep being a common expression for death in the Scriptures.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 52And the graves were opened - “Graves” or sepulchres were most commonly made, among the Jews, in solid rocks or in caves of rocks. The rending of the rocks, therefore, would lay them open. The graves were opened by this earthquake, but the dead in them did not rise until after his resurrection. And many bodies of the saints arose - Of course, it is not known who these were, nor what became of them. It is probable that they were persons who had recently…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 51-56Verses 51-56 The rending of the veil signified that Christ, by his death, opened a way to God. We have an open way through Christ to the throne of grace, or mercy-seat now, and to the throne of glory hereafter. When we duly consider Christ's death, our hard and rocky hearts should be rent; the heart, and not the garments. That heart is harder than a rock that will not yield, that will not melt, where Jesus Christ is plainly set forth crucified. The graves…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 52-53The tombs broke open: At the moment of the death of Jesus, God’s kingdom broke into the world in a new way. His death destroyed the power of death and began the promise of final resurrection (see Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:1–58; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 2:14–15). Some holy people were raised to life. But they may not have entered Jerusalem until after Jesus rose from the dead. Another view is that they were not raised until after the…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5252. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose--These sleeping saints (see on 1Th 4:14) were Old Testament believers, who--according to the usual punctuation in our version--were quickened into resurrection life at the moment of their Lord's death, but lay in their graves till His resurrection, when they came forth. But it is far more natural, as we think, and consonant with other Scriptures, to understand that only the…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 27:52

• Death
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Resurrection

In the dictionaries

• Accusation
• Notable
• Plat
• Saint
• Seal
• Wag
• Watch
• Wont
• Earthquake
• Jesus Christ

Commentaries on Matthew 27

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings