Mark 16:4

4 And [when they] looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away (for it was very large).

Mark 16:4 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 16:4

And when they looked
Towards the sepulchre, as they came near it:

they saw that the stone was rolled away;
they perceived it lay at some distance from the door of the sepulchre, which doubtless was very grateful, and matter of rejoicing to them:

for it was very great;
these words are to be read, in connection with the preceding verse; for they are not a reason, why when they looked towards the sepulchre, they saw the stone rolled, because it was a very large one, and so easily to be seen at a distance; but a reason why they were so thoughtful and concerned, who should roll it away for them, it being so big, that they could not think that they were able to do it themselves.

Mark 16:4 In-Context

2 And very early in the morning on the first [day] of the week they came to the tomb [after] the sun had risen.

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

4 And [when they] looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away (for it was very large).

5 And [as they] were going into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified. He has been raised, he is not here! See the place where they laid him!

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("looked up") which is understood as temporal