Mark 16:3
New International Version
and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

New Living Translation
On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

English Standard Version
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

Berean Standard Bible
They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”

Berean Literal Bible
And they were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?"

King James Bible
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

New King James Version
And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

New American Standard Bible
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb for us?”

NASB 1995
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

NASB 1977
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

Amplified Bible
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

Christian Standard Bible
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?”

American Standard Version
And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb?

Contemporary English Version
On their way, they were asking one another, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance for us?"

English Revised Version
And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They said to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

International Standard Version
They kept saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

Majority Standard Bible
They were asking one another, ?Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb??

NET Bible
They had been asking each other, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

New Heart English Bible
They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll away for us the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

Weymouth New Testament
and they were saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

World English Bible
They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone out of the door of the tomb for us?”

Berean Literal Bible
And they were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?"

Young's Literal Translation
and they said among themselves, 'Who shall roll away for us the stone out of the door of the sepulchre?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And they said to themselves, Who shall roll away for us the stone from the door of the tomb?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they said to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us, away from the entrance of the tomb?”

New American Bible
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

New Revised Standard Version
They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they were saying among themselves, “But who will roll the stone away for us from the tomb?”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And they said among themselves: Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the sepulcher?

Godbey New Testament
And they were saying to themselves, Who shall for us roll away the stone from the sepulcher?

Haweis New Testament
And said among themselves, Who will roll away for us the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

Mace New Testament
and they said to one another, who will remove the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre for us?

Weymouth New Testament
and they were saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

Worrell New Testament
And they were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone for us out of the door of the tomb?"

Worsley New Testament
And they said to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the sepulchre?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Resurrection
2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.…

Cross References
Matthew 28:2-4
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. / His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. / The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.

Luke 24:2-3
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, / but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

John 20:1
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

Matthew 27:60
and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.

John 19:41-42
Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. / And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.

Matthew 28:5-6
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. / He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.

Luke 24:4-5
While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them. / As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

John 20:12-13
and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet. / “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”

Matthew 27:66
So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

John 20:2
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

Isaiah 53:9
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Psalm 16:10
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

Matthew 16:21
From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Luke 9:22
“The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

John 2:19-21
Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” / “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” / But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body.


Treasury of Scripture

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

Who.

Mark 15:46,47
And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre…

Matthew 27:60-66
And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed…

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Mark 16
1. An Angel declares the resurrection of Jesus to three women.
9. Jesus himself appears to Mary Magdalene;
12. to two going into the country;
14. then to the apostles;
15. whom he sends forth to preach the gospel;
19. and ascends into heaven.














They were asking one another
This phrase indicates a conversation among the women who were followers of Jesus. The Greek word used here, "ἔλεγον" (elegon), is in the imperfect tense, suggesting a continuous or repeated action. This implies that the women were deeply concerned and repeatedly discussing the issue as they approached the tomb. Historically, this reflects the communal nature of their journey, emphasizing the shared burden and collective faith of these women. Their dialogue underscores the human tendency to worry about obstacles, even when on a mission of faith and devotion.

Who will roll away the stone
The question posed by the women highlights their awareness of a significant physical barrier. The Greek word for "roll away," "ἀποκυλίσει" (apokylisei), suggests a large, heavy object that requires considerable effort to move. Archaeological findings confirm that tombs of that era often had large stones, sometimes weighing several tons, placed at their entrances. This detail emphasizes the realism of the narrative, as the women were aware of their limitations and the need for divine or human intervention to accomplish their task. Spiritually, this question can symbolize the barriers we perceive in our own lives, which seem insurmountable without divine assistance.

from the entrance of the tomb
The "entrance of the tomb" refers to the physical location where Jesus was laid after His crucifixion. The Greek term "μνημείου" (mnēmeiou) is used for "tomb," which denotes a memorial or a place of remembrance. Historically, Jewish burial customs involved placing the deceased in a rock-hewn tomb, often sealed with a stone to protect the body from animals and grave robbers. Theologically, the tomb represents both the finality of death and the anticipation of resurrection. The entrance, therefore, is not just a physical barrier but a symbolic threshold between death and life, despair and hope. The women's concern about accessing the tomb reflects their devotion and desire to honor Jesus, even in death, while also setting the stage for the miraculous revelation of the resurrection.

(3) And they said among themselves . . .--Literally, and they were saying to themselves. The words were on the point of rising to their lips as they looked up and saw the stone rolled away.

Verse 3. - And they were saying (ἔλεγον) among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb? The usual form of tombs in Palestine was the following: - There was generally an approach to the tomb open to the sky; then a low entrance on the side of the rock, leading into a square chamber, on one side of which was a recess for the body, about three feet deep, with a low arch over it. The stone here referred to by the women would be the stone which covered the actual entrance into the vault. It would probably be not less than six feet in breadth and three in height. This great stone had been rolled By Joseph to the mouth of the tomb; and then he had departed. Now, as the women approached, "they were saying (ἔλεγον,) among themselves, Who shall roll us away (ἀποκυλίσει) the stone?" They had seen the arrangements, and had observed the size of the atone on the Friday evening. (Mark 15:47).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
They were asking
ἔλεγον (elegon)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

one another,
ἑαυτάς (heautas)
Reflexive Pronoun - Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

“Who
Τίς (Tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

will roll away
ἀποκυλίσει (apokylisei)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 617: To roll away. From apo and kulioo; to roll away.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

stone
λίθον (lithon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3037: A stone; met: of Jesus as the chief stone in a building. Apparently a primary word; a stone.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

entrance
θύρας (thyras)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2374: (a) a door, (b) met: an opportunity. Apparently a primary word; a portal or entrance.

of the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

tomb?”
μνημείου (mnēmeiou)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3419: A tomb, sepulcher, monument. From mneme; a remembrance, i.e. Cenotaph.


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NT Gospels: Mark 16:3 They were saying among themselves Who will (Mar Mk Mr)
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