Devine Scripture

Luke 24:2

What does Luke 24:2 mean?

A plain-English look at Luke 24:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Luke 24:2 means

Finding the stone rolled away presents the first sign that God has intervened. That great obstacle, which the women could not have moved, is already removed. This is not merely a convenience; it is a visible testimony that the tomb has been opened by a power beyond human effort. The stone is rolled away not to let Jesus out—His resurrection power needs no help—but to let witnesses in. The empty tomb will be verifiable. God accommodates human weakness by giving tangible evidence. The women are being led step by step from sorrow to astonishment, from assumptions about death to the dawning light of life.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And they saw that the stone had been rolled away.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and they found the stone having been rolled away from the tomb,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And they found the stone rolled back from the sepulchre.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

Context

Following their early arrival with spices, the women encounter a startling detail: the barrier to the tomb is gone. This deepens the mystery set up in verse 1 and prepares for the discovery inside. The narrative builds tension—what has happened to Jesus’ body? The next verse shows them entering and not finding the body, which intensifies their perplexity. Soon, divine messengers will interpret these signs. The progression from stone removed to body absent to angelic announcement structures the account, moving readers from observation to confusion to the authoritative explanation of resurrection.

v.1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

v.2This passage

v.3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Mark 15:46

    And he bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

  • Matthew 28:2

    And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.

  • Matthew 27:60

    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 tomb, and departed.

  • John 20:1

    Now on the firstdayof the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb.

  • Mark 16:3

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

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