Bible Strands
Luke 23:54
It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ burial, noting the precise timing as His body rests in the rock-cut tomb.
The words — παρασκευῆς (paraskeuēs) means “of Preparation,” and ἐπέφωσκεν (epephōsken) translates to “was just beginning,” marking the literal transition from the sixth day to the seventh.
The thread — This chronological marker appears in Mark 15:42, Matthew 27:62, and John 19:31 to anchor the burial timeline across the Gospels.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the strict boundary between the work of preparation and the rest of the Sabbath, requiring the reader to note the completed burial before the holy day interrupts.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Cross-references
- Matthew 27:62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate.
- John 19:31 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.
- Mark 15:42 Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
- John 19:14 It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
- John 19:42 And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.