The women do as the Lord had commanded them and go on their way to tell Jesus’ “brethren” of his resurrection and of his command for them to meet him in Galilee. While they were going may need some expansion. They is the women, for example, and going may require a destination: “While the women were on their way to the disciples.”

Matthew once again introduces the word behold (see comments at 1.20) to draw attention to a significant aspect of the narrative: some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. It is significant that the guard (the same word used in 27.65-66) reports to the chief priests and not to Pilate. However, this is not as surprising as it may seem at first glance, since according to 27.65 the guard is apparently placed under the authority of the chief priests. Guard is a singular noun employed in a collective sense, and so the basis for “soldiers” of Good News Translation.

In this context all that had taken place refers specifically to the events of verses 2-3; it does not include the dialogue between the angel and the women, nor does it tell of the women’s departure to make the news known. Thus translators may have “everything that happened when the angel came to the tomb.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .