When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
Parallel translations
- KJV And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
- BSB Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
- NKJV Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
- NASB When evening had already come, since it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
- NLT This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached,
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
As evening comes on Preparation Day, before the Sabbath, the timing presses for a quick burial. The clock shapes what follows.
Overview
The Preparation Day was the time for readying everything before the Sabbath began at sunset, when no work could be done. This urgency explains the haste of Jesus' burial. Mark's note grounds the events in the Jewish calendar and sets the stage for the Sabbath rest before the resurrection on the first day.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Luke 23:50–56Behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man
- Matt 27:57–62When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus’ disciple came.
- John 19:31Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
- John 19:38–42After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission. He came therefore and took away his body.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 15:42 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.