Mark 16:3

3 On the way they said to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" (It was a very large stone.) Then they looked up and saw that the stone had already been rolled back.

Mark 16:3 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 16:3

And they said among themselves
Either before they set out, or as they were going along:

who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Which they saw was placed there by Joseph, or his orders: this was the only difficulty they had, that they were aware of; for they seem to know nothing of the sealing of the stone, and of the watch that was set to guard the sepulchre: things which were done on the sabbath day, on which they rested: for had they, in all likelihood they would never have attempted to have gone to it; the guard of soldiers would have been a sufficient discouragement: but all their concern was, how, and by whom, the stone should be rolled away, that lay at the door of the sepulchre; and perhaps their concern might be, not only on account of the largeness of the stone, as being too much for them to remove, but because such a stone defiled by touching it, according to the Jewish traditions ^F9.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 Misn. Oholot, c. 2. sect 4.

Mark 16:3 In-Context

1 After the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus.

2 Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.

3 On the way they said to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" (It was a very large stone.) Then they looked up and saw that the stone had already been rolled back.

5 So they entered the tomb, where they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe - and they were alarmed.