and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.
Parallel translations
- WEB The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
- KJV And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
- BSB The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
- NKJV and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
- NASB Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
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
Tombs open and many bodies of departed saints are raised. Jesus' death has power over the grave.
Overview
The earthquake at the crucifixion opens tombs, and the bodies of many holy ones who had died are raised to life. This striking sign anticipates the resurrection that Christ secures for His people. It declares that the death of Jesus breaks the power of death itself and guarantees future resurrection for believers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 26:19Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.
- 1 Th 4:14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
- John 5:25–29Most certainly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live.
- 1 Cor 15:20But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.
- Dan 12:2Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
- Isa 25:8He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it.
- 1 Th 5:10who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
- 1 Cor 15:51Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
- Hos 13:14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death! Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction? “Compassion will be hidden from my eyes.
- 1 Cor 11:30For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.
- Acts 7:60He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
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
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 27:52 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.