But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe the women.
Parallel translations
- WEB These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn’t believe them.
- KJV And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
- BSB But their words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.
- NKJV And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
- NLT But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.
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
The apostles dismissed the women's report as nonsense and did not believe. Even Jesus' closest followers struggled to accept the resurrection.
Overview
The disciples regard the women's account as idle talk and refuse to believe. Their skepticism shows they were not gullible inventors of a myth but doubters who needed convincing. This honest detail strengthens the historical credibility of the resurrection, which would soon overcome their unbelief through the risen Lord's appearances.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Job 9:16If I had called, and he had answered me, yet I wouldn’t believe that he listened to my voice.
- Mark 16:11When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.
- Gen 19:14Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.
- Ps 126:1A Song of Ascents. When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, we were like those who dream.
- Luke 24:25He said to them, “Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
- Acts 12:9And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.
- 2 Kgs 7:2Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Behold, if Yahweh made windows in heaven, could this thing be?” He said, “Behold, you will see it with your eyes, but will not eat of it.”
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
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 24:11 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.