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But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
John 20:11 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb,
  • BSB But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,
  • ESV But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.
  • NKJV But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.
  • NASB But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping; so as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb;
  • NLT Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Mary remains weeping at the tomb and looks inside. Her grief and devotion keep her near her Lord.

Overview

While the disciples have gone home, Mary lingers in sorrow, unable to leave the place where Jesus lay. Her persistent love, though mixed with despair, positions her to be the first to meet the risen Christ. The scene shows that the Lord often meets those who seek him through tears.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • John 20:5And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 20:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 20:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.