went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.
- KJV He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
- BSB He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
- NKJV This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.
- NASB This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
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
Joseph asks Pilate for Jesus' body, and Pilate grants it. The Savior's burial is arranged with official permission.
Overview
Joseph boldly approaches Pilate to request the body, and the governor consents to release it. This legal handover confirms that Jesus was truly dead and that His burial was properly carried out. The detail safeguards the reality of His death, a foundation for the truth of His resurrection.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Mark 15:44–46Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long.
- Luke 23:52–53this man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body.
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 27:58 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.