Mark 16:1

The Resurrection

1 ¹When the Sabbath was over, ²Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, ³bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.

Mark 16:1 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 16:1

And when the sabbath was past
"In the end of it", as Matthew says, ( Matthew 28:1 ) ; not "when it was the sabbath", as the Arabic version reads; for it was not lawful to buy spices, and anoint with on the sabbath day; (See Gill on Matthew 28:1).

Mary Magdalene, and Mary, [the mother of James,] and Salome;
who was the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of the other James and John:

had bought sweet spices;
or "brought", as the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions read; for though the women might have bought some on the preparation day, the day before the sabbath, the same evening that Christ was buried, ( Luke 23:56 ) , yet, they might buy more for the same purpose, after the sabbath was over: for this there was a particular market at Jerusalem ^F4; for we are a told, that

``there were there three markets, one by another; in the first of which were sold, all kinds of precious things, silks, and embroidered work; in the second, various kinds of fruits and herbs; and in the third, all kinds of spices.''

That they might come and anoint him;
with those sweet spices, as was the manner of the Jews: hence we read ^F5 of, (Mytm lv Mymvbh) , "the spices of the dead"; which were used to expel an ungrateful savour: this they did, out of affection to Christ, but seemed to have no faith in his resurrection, though he had told them of it, which they had forgot. The Vulgate Latin reads, "that they might anoint Jesus"; the Ethiopic version, "anoint his body": but the Arabic thus, "anoint the sepulchre"; his body being anointed before, and wound up by Joseph and Nicodemus; and therefore they came to strew the sepulchre with spices and ointments, and give it a sweet perfume. Though it seems most likely, that they came to anoint his body; for this was one of the things which was customary in Israel to do to dead men, as Maimonides ^F6 observes, (Mymvb ynmb wtwa Nyko) , "they anoint him with various sorts of spices".

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Jechus Haabot, p. 24. Ed. Hottinger.
F5 Misn. Betacot, c. 8. sect. 6. & Barrenors in ib. T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 12. 2.
F6 Hiichot Ebel, c. 4. sect. 1.

Mark 16:1 In-Context

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.

2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

3 They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"

4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.

5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.

Cross References

• 1. Mark 16:1-8: {Matthew 28:1-8; Luke 24:1-10;} John 20:1-8
• 2. Mark 15:47
• 3. Luke 23:56; John 19:39

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "Jacob"