Matthew 28:3

Matthew 28:3 is the third verse in the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. It belongs to the resurrection story and depicts the angel that came to Jesus' tomb in the preceding verse.

Content

In the original Koine Greek (as established by Westcott and Hort), the verse reads: "ην δε η ειδεα αυτου ως αστραπη και το ενδυμα αυτου λευκον ως χιων." The King James Version renders this as "His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow," while the World English Bible translates it as "His appearance was bright as lightning, and his clothing is white as snow."

Analysis

This verse underscores the significance of the figure and the events from the previous verse, presenting the angel as an exalted being. The other gospels offer more subdued descriptions: Mark 16:5 and John 20:12 mention a figure in white, and Luke 24:4 (in the Revised Standard Version and some other translations) describes the clothes as "dazzling," which may combine the lightning-like face and white garments seen here.

The angel's depiction echoes several Old Testament passages, reflecting Matthew's tendency to reference scripture. Daniel 10:6 describes an angel with a face like lightning, and Ezekiel 1 associates lightning with the creatures around God. Daniel 7:9 portrays God himself as white as snow. This suggests angels are linked to God and serve a theophanic role beyond mere messengers.

The description also resembles the transfigured Christ in Matthew 17:2, though Boring notes the angel in this verse is slightly less glorious than Jesus, highlighting Jesus' more divine nature. Jesus is similarly described as white as snow in Revelation 1:14. The color white symbolizes purity in both Testaments, reflecting the cultural norms of the time, when Jewish rabbis, Egyptian priests, and pious worshippers commonly wore white.

Several early manuscripts contain this verse, including Codex Vaticanus (~325-350), Codex Sinaiticus (~330-360), Codex Bezae (~400), Codex Washingtonianus (~400), Codex Alexandrinus (~400-440), Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450), Papyrus 105 (5th/6th century), and Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century).