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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Matthew 28:3

The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Colors;   Friendship;   Jesus, the Christ;   Lightning;   Love;   Thompson Chain Reference - Dead, the;   Face;   Light-Darkness;   Mortality-Immortality;   Resurrection;   Shining Faces;   White;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Garments;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Miracle;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Mary;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Angel;   Appear, Appearance;   Burial;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Angel;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Resurrection of Christ;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - New Testament;   Seraphim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Colors;   Mary;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Lightning;   Snow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Angels;   Angels (2);   Dress (2);   Glory;   Israel, Israelite;   Lightning ;   Quotations (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Snow;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Angel;   Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Countenance;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Mary;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Angel;   Bloody Sweat;   Color;   Ramah;   Snow;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for October 15;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.
King James Version (1611)
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snowe.
King James Version
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
English Standard Version
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
New American Standard Bible
And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
New Century Version
He was shining as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
Amplified Bible
The angel's appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
Legacy Standard Bible
And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
Berean Standard Bible
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
Complete Jewish Bible
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.
Darby Translation
And his look was as lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
Easy-to-Read Version
The angel was shining as bright as lightning. His clothes were as white as snow.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And his countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snowe.
George Lamsa Translation
His appearance was like lightning, and his garments white as snow.
Good News Translation
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
Lexham English Bible
Now his appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow.
Literal Translation
And his face was as lightning and his clothing white as snow.
American Standard Version
His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Bible in Basic English
His form was shining like the light, and his clothing was white as snow:
Hebrew Names Version
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
International Standard Version
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.Daniel 10:6;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
His aspect was like lightning, and his raiment was white as the snow.
Murdock Translation
And his aspect was like the lightning; and his raiment white like snow:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
His countenaunce was lyke lyghtnyng, and his rayment white as snowe.
English Revised Version
His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
World English Bible
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
Weymouth's New Testament
His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And his lokyng was as leit, and hise clothis as snowe;
Update Bible Version
His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Webster's Bible Translation
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
New English Translation
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
New King James Version
His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
New Living Translation
His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.
New Life Bible
His face was bright like lightning. His clothes were white as snow.
New Revised Standard
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now his appearance, was, as lightning, and, his clothing, white as snow;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And his countenance was as lightning and his raiment as snow.
Revised Standard Version
His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
His countenaunce was lyke lyghtnynge and his raymet whyte as snowe.
Young's Literal Translation
and his countenance was as lightning, and his clothing white as snow,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And his countenaunce was as ye lightenynge, and his clothinge whyte as snowe.
Mace New Testament (1729)
his aspect was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
Simplified Cowboy Version
This angel looked like he was made of livin' lightnin' and his trail gear was as white as snow.

Contextual Overview

1 The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. 3 The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead. 5 The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. 6 He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. 7 Now hurry! Tell his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came to tell you." 8 The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said, "Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

countenance: Matthew 17:2, Psalms 104:4, Ezekiel 1:4-14, Daniel 10:5, Daniel 10:6, Revelation 1:14-16, Revelation 10:1, Revelation 18:1

his raiment: Mark 9:3, Mark 16:5, Acts 1:10, Revelation 3:4, Revelation 3:5

Reciprocal: Judges 13:6 - countenance was Psalms 97:4 - the earth Song of Solomon 5:15 - his countenance Ezekiel 1:13 - General Luke 24:5 - they John 20:12 - seeth Acts 10:30 - behold Romans 6:4 - by the Revelation 19:14 - clothed

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
Genesis 9:1
God said to Noah and his sons: I am giving you my blessing. Have a lot of children and grandchildren, so people will live everywhere on this earth.
Genesis 13:16
I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants.
Genesis 24:60
They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, "We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies."
Genesis 28:1
Isaac called in Jacob, then gave him a blessing, and said: Don't marry any of those Canaanite women.
Genesis 28:6
Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria
Genesis 28:17
Then Jacob became frightened and said, "This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the ladder to heaven."
Genesis 28:18
When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the rock that he had used for a pillow and stood it up for a place of worship. Then he poured olive oil on the rock to dedicate it to God,
Genesis 41:52
His second son was named Ephraim, which means "God has made me a success in the land where I suffered."
Genesis 43:14
When you go in to see the governor, I pray that God All-Powerful will be good to you and that the governor will let your other brother and Benjamin come back home with you. If I must lose my children, I suppose I must.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

His countenance was like lightning,.... There was such a lustre and brightness in his face, that it glittered like lightning: such a description is in Daniel 10:6,

and his raiment white as snow: the word "white" is left out in the Vulgate Latin, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel: the angel appeared clad in white, as a token of the purity and innocence of his nature; and because of the victory and triumph of Christ over death and the grave; and that he might be known and taken by the women for a good angel, it being a commonly received notion of the Jews, that ministering angels were clothed in white b.

"Said R. Ame to R. Levi, show me the Persians; he said to him, they are like to the mighty men of the house of David: show me the Chaberin, (another nation near the Persians,) they are like to destroying angels: show me the Ishmaelites, they are like to devils of the house of Hacsa: show me the disciples of the wise men in Babylon, they are like to the ministering angels.''

Upon which the gloss says,

""to the devils", because they are clothed in black, and are like to devils; to "the ministering angels", לבנים

לבושי, "they are clothed in white", and veiled like the ministering angels; as it is written in Ezekiel 9:2, "and the man was clothed with linen": and it is said c of R. Judah, that he was veiled, and sat in fine linen fringed, and was like to an angel of the Lord of hosts: and elsewhere d it is said, who are the ministering angels? the Rabbins: and why are they called ministering angels? because they are fringed, as the ministering angels, in beautiful garments.''

b T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 72. 1. c T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 25. 2. d T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 20. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

His countenance - In our language the word “countenance” refers to the “face only;” in the original it refers to his “whole person.” His “general aspect, or the appearance of the angel himself,” was, etc.

Like lightning - Peculiarly bright and shining.

His raiment white as snow - Celestial beings are usually represented as clothed in white, Acts 1:10; Daniel 7:9; Revelation 3:4-5; Revelation 4:4; Revelation 7:13-14. White, among the Jews, was the symbol of “purity or innocence.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 28:3. His countenanceHis appearance, η ιδεα αυτου; or, his face, for so the word is used in some of the best Greek writers. It seems, from Mark 16:5, that this angel had assumed the appearance of a young man.

Like lightning — Coruscations of glory continually flaming from his face. This might produce the confusion mentioned Matthew 28:2.

His raiment white as snow — He was clothed in garments emblematical of the glad tidings which he came to announce. It would have been inconsistent with the message he brought, had the angel appeared in black robes, such as those preposterously wear who call themselves his successors in the ministry of a once suffering, but now risen and highly exalted, Saviour. But the world is as full of nonsense as of sin; and who can correct and bring it to reason and piety?


 
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