Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.
Parallel translations
- KJV Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
- BSB Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.
- ESV Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
- NKJV Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
- NASB Mary Magdalene *came and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
- NLT Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
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 announces to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord.' She becomes the first witness of the resurrection.
Overview
Mary faithfully delivers Jesus' message and her own testimony of having seen him alive. That a woman is the first commissioned witness, in a culture that undervalued such testimony, speaks to the surprising, authentic character of the account. Her proclamation models the church's central message: the Lord is risen.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 24:10Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles.
- Matt 28:10Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.”
- Mark 16:10–13She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
- Luke 24:22–23Also, certain women of our company amazed us, having arrived early at the tomb;
- John 20:1Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 20:18 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.