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So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Matthew 28:15 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.
  • KJV So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
  • NKJV So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
  • NASB And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day.
  • NLT So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

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 soldiers take the money and spread the false story, which persists among the Jews to Matthew's day. The lie circulates, yet its very existence confirms the empty tomb.

Overview

Matthew notes that the stolen-body explanation was still being told when he wrote, answering an objection his readers would have heard. The continued telling of this counter-story is indirect historical evidence that the tomb was indeed empty and required explanation. The truth of the resurrection stands even as opponents repeat a tale they know to be false.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Matt 27:8That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
  • 1 Tim 6:10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
  • Matt 26:15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

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

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 28:15YouTube · 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 MatthewMatthew 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

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 28:15 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.