1.
|
The first day of the week. It was 16th Nisan, the
anniversary of Gen. 8:4 and Ex. 14:20.
|
|
Came. Remarkably, a singular verb with plural nouns, is
this to put the emphasis on Mary Magdalene, or to indicate their complete
unaniminity of spirit?
|
|
The other Mary. See ch.229, and Mark 1 6:1.
|
2.
|
For, indicating that the reason for the earthquake was
not either "natural causes" nor the resurrection of Jesus, but the coming of an
angel of glory.
|
|
An angel...from heaven. Apparently another pleonasm, as
in 27:63 (see note), for whence else might an angel come down? Perhaps the
phrase is intended to steer the reader away from reading angel as meaning a
human messenger.
|
|
The details here must have been supplied by one of the
soldiers, surely; v.l la.
|
3.
|
The appearance of this angel matches in some respect that of
the angel seen by Daniel in 1 0:6ff, where note:
|
|
lightning ... a guard ... quaking fell upon them ... they
fled., in a deep sleep upon my face.
|
|
His countenance. This word is unique in the NT, but is
the exact equivalent of appearance, vision, in Dan. 1 0:1,1 8. These
echoes of Daniel's experience might suggest that whereas some of the soldiers
fled in terror, others bowed in worship.
|