The Meaning of Matthew 28:7 Explained

Matthew 28:7

KJV: And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

YLT: and having gone quickly, say ye to his disciples, that he rose from the dead; and lo, he doth go before you to Galilee, there ye shall see him; lo, I have told you.'

Darby: And go quickly and say to his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goes before you into Galilee, there shall ye see him. Behold, I have told you.

ASV: And go quickly, and tell his disciples, He is risen from the dead; and lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  go  quickly,  and tell  his  disciples  that  he is risen  from  the dead;  and,  behold,  he goeth before  you  into  Galilee;  there  shall ye see  him:  lo,  I have told  you. 

What does Matthew 28:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 28:1-10 - The Open And Empty Tomb
Ere the sun had risen and while the glory of the dawn was faint in the Eastern sky, the women were well on their way. But He whom they sought had gone. How often we look down into the grave of the dead past, and into the vault where we have buried twin-souls; or we peer for help into the diaries, prayers and rites of departed saints or a moribund church-but we do not find the Lord. The divine Leader of souls is not behind us, but before; not in the grave of the dead past, but in the van of the world's march. Lo, he beckons us on to follow the Ascension mountain and the opened heaven!
The Lord engaged women as messengers of His resurrection. See Psalms 68:11. How eagerly they caught His idea, and with what alacrity they endeavored to fulfill it. And as they went He, for whom they went, met them! It is ever thus. We go on His errands, but we do not leave Him as we go. On the contrary, He meets us. See Isaiah 64:5. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 28

1  Christ's resurrection is declared by an angel to the women
9  He himself appears unto them
11  The chief priests pay the soldiers to say that he was stolen out of his tomb
16  Christ appears to his disciples,
18  and sends them to baptize and teach all nations

Greek Commentary for Matthew 28:7

He goeth before you into Galilee [προαγει υμας εις την Γαλιλαιαν]
Jesus did appear to the disciples in Galilee on two notable occasions (by the beloved lake, John 21, and on the mountain, Matthew 28:16-20). Probably before the women were permitted to tell this story in full to the disciples who scouted as idle talk (Luke 24:11) their first accounts, Jesus appeared to various disciples in Jerusalem on this first great Sunday. Jesus did not say that he would not see any of them in Jerusalem. He merely made a definite appointment in Galilee which he kept. [source]
He goeth before you [προάγει]
He is in the act of going. See on Matthew 26:32. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 28:7

Mark 16:7 And Peter [και τωι Πετρωι]
Only in Mark, showing that Peter remembered gratefully this special message from the Risen Christ. Later in the day Jesus will appear also to Peter, an event that changed doubt to certainty with the apostles (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). See Matthew 28:7 for discussion of promised meeting in Galilee. [source]
Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen [ουκ εστιν ωδε αλλα ηγερτη]
Another Western non-interpolation according to Westcott and Hort. The words are genuine at any rate in Mark 16:6; Matthew 28:7. [source]
John 21:1 Manifested himself [επανεροσεν εαυτον]
First aorist active indicative of πανεροω — phaneroō with the reflexive pronoun (cf. John 7:4; John 13:4). For the passive see John 1:31; John 21:14. Jesus was only seen during the forty days now and then (Acts 1:3), ten instances being recorded. The word πανεροω — phaneroō is often used of Christ on earth (John 1:31; John 2:11; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 1:2), of his works (John 3:5), of the second coming (1 John 2:28), of Christ in glory (Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2). At By or upon. Of Tiberias As in John 6:1 instead of the usual “Sea of Galilee.” Tiberias, the capital city of Galilee, gave this epithet to the Sea of Galilee. This is not the appearance in Galilee prearranged by Jesus (Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:7, Matthew 28:16). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 28:7 mean?

And quickly having gone say to the disciples of Him that He is risen from the dead behold He goes before you into - Galilee there Him you will see I have told you
καὶ ταχὺ πορευθεῖσαι εἴπατε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι Ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν ἰδοὺ προάγει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ὄψεσθε εἶπον ὑμῖν

ταχὺ  quickly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ταχύς  
Sense: quickly, speedily (without delay).
πορευθεῖσαι  having  gone 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: πορεύομαι  
Sense: to lead over, carry over, transfer.
εἴπατε  say 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
τοῖς  to  the 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μαθηταῖς  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Ἠγέρθη  He  is  risen 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐγείρω  
Sense: to arouse, cause to rise.
νεκρῶν  dead 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: νεκρός  
Sense: properly.
ἰδοὺ  behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
προάγει  He  goes  before 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προάγω  
Sense: to lead forward, lead forth.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
τὴν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Γαλιλαίαν  Galilee 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: Γαλιλαία  
Sense: the name of a region of northern Palestine, bounded on the north by Syria, on the west by Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais and their territories and the promontory of Carmel, on the south by Samaria and on the east by the Jordan.
ὄψεσθε  you  will  see 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 2nd Person Plural
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
εἶπον  I  have  told 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.