And after this
That is, after Jesus had given up the ghost, when it was a clear
case that he was dead; as it was before the soldiers came to
break the legs of the crucified, and before one of them pierced
the side of Jesus with his spear, though that confirmed it: but
it seems to be before these last things were done, and yet after
the death of Christ, that Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate, and
desired leave to take down the body of Jesus. This Joseph was a
counsellor, one of the Jewish sanhedrim; though he did not give
his consent to the counsel of the court concerning Jesus: he is
here described by the place of his birth, Arimathea. This place
has been generally thought to be the same with Ramah or Ramathaim
Zophim, the birth place of Samuel the prophet; and so I have
taken it to be in the note (See Gill on Matthew
27:57) but there seems to be some reason to doubt about
it, since Ramathaim Zophim was in Mount Ephraim, or in the
mountainous parts of that tribe, ( 1 Samuel 1:1
) whereas Arimathea is called a city of the Jews, ( Luke 23:51 ) . But if it
was in the tribe of Ephraim, it would rather, as Reland
and besought
Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus:
from off the cross, that it might not be any more insulted by his
enemies, and might not be thrown with the other bodies into the
place where the bodies of malefactors were cast, but that it
might be decently interred. This Pilate, the Roman governor, had
the disposal of, and to him Joseph applies for it; which was a
great instance of his affection for Christ, and was a declaring
openly for him, and must unavoidably expose him to the malice and
resentment of the Jews:
and Pilate
gave him leave;
having first inquired of the centurion, whether he was dead; of
which being satisfied, he readily granted it; not only in
complaisance to Joseph, who was a man of note and figure, but on
account of the innocence of Jesus, of which he was convinced, and
therefore was very willing he should have an honourable
burial:
he came
therefore;
to the cross, with proper servants with him,
and took the
body of Jesus;
down from the cross, and carried it away. The Alexandrian copy,
different from all others, and in language uncommon, reads, "the
body of God".
F15 Palestina Ilustrata, l. 3. p. 581.
F16 Epitaph Paulae, fol. 59. A.
F17 De locis Hebraicis, fol. 88. K.
F18 Antiqu. l. 13. c. 4. soot. 9.
F19 Ib. l. 5. c. 10. sect. 2.
F20 Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol 25.
1. & 27. 1.