“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
- KJV Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
- NKJV Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
- NASB Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Thinking that He was the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him away.”
- NLT “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
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
Jesus asks whom she seeks; Mary, thinking him the gardener, asks where the body is. Her devotion persists even in confusion.
Overview
Mistaking Jesus for the gardener, Mary offers to take the body away, showing her single-minded love. The 'gardener' detail carries quiet irony, for in a garden the risen Lord begins to undo the death that entered through the first garden. Her seeking heart is about to be answered in a way beyond her hopes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- John 18:7So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
- John 20:13“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”
- John 1:38Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
- Song 3:2I will arise now and go about the city, through the streets and squares. I will seek the one I love. So I sought him but did not find him.
- Mark 16:6But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
- John 18:4Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
- 1 Sam 1:16Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”
- Matt 28:5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
- Luke 24:5As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
- Song 6:1Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will seek him with you.
- Matt 12:34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
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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 20:15 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.