Bible Strands
Matthew 27:56
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Matthew 27:56 occurs at the crucifixion site, listing women who remained among the crowd watching Jesus die after following Him from Galilee to minister (Matt 27:55). The verse appears immediately before Joseph of Arimathea approaches Pilate in the evening to claim the body (Matt 27:57).
The words — The Greek phrase ἐν αἷς ἦν (en hais ēn) literally means "among whom was," functioning as a grammatical bridge to introduce a specific roster. The text then names Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
The thread — The same women are recorded at the tomb after the Sabbath to observe where the body was laid (Matt 28:1; Mark 15:47), while John 19:25 lists a different group standing near the cross. These passages track the consistent witness of named women across the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection accounts.
Why it lands — The text explicitly names individuals who stayed at the cross, establishing a concrete roster of eyewitnesses rather than leaving the event to anonymous crowds. Readers are asked to note that the gospel accounts preserve specific names to anchor the narrative in historical testimony.
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
Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
Cross-references
- John 19:25 Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.
- Matthew 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
- Mark 15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.
- Mark 16:9 Early on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven out seven demons.
- Matthew 13:55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
- Matthew 27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
- Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.
- John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
- John 20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.
- Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.