Limitless Word
Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
Mark 16:2 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
  • BSB Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.
  • NKJV Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
  • NASB And very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
  • NLT Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb.

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

Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, the women come to the tomb. The resurrection morning dawns.

Overview

The 'first day of the week' marks the day of resurrection, which the early church soon kept as the Lord's Day. The women arrive at first light to perform their sorrowful task. Mark's precise timing again grounds the event in history and signals that something entirely new is breaking into the world.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • 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.
  • Luke 24:1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.
  • Matt 28:1Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Mark videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

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

  • VideoWatch teaching on Mark 16:2YouTube · 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 MarkMatthew 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

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 16:2 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.