What Does Mark 16:2 Mean in the King James?
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The tomb is approached at the sun’s rising, placing the apparent end of a life inside the first light of a new day.
THE MEANING
You meet this scene at the day’s threshold: the women reach the tomb as the sun rises. Night gives way to first light, but the verse has not yet disclosed what they find. The moment holds an ending-place inside a beginning.
THE ROOT
ἀνατείλαντος
anateilantos
GROWS FROM
τέλλω
tellō
To rise or come forth; to bring something into appearance.
The Greek uses ἀνατέλλω (anatellō, to rise) for the sun coming up. Its related noun ἀνατολή (anatolē, rising; east) names the direction of the sun’s appearance, so dawn carries both emergence and orientation as the women approach the tomb.
ALSO GROWS
anatolē: Rising; east
ἀνατολή
This related noun names the sun’s rising and the direction from which it appears.
epitellō: To rise or appear, especially of a heavenly body
ἐπιτέλλω
It shares the τέλλω stem and describes a celestial body coming into view.
σαββάτων
sabbatōn
GROWS FROM
σαββατ-
sabbat-
Sabbath or rest; ultimately from Hebrew שָׁבַת (shavat), to cease or rest.
The Greek phrase μία τῶν σαββάτων (mia tōn sabbatōn, “one of the Sabbaths”) idiomatically means the first day of the week. The week is named through its Sabbath rhythm, placing this dawn within a cycle marked by rest.
ALSO GROWS
sabbatizō: To keep the Sabbath; to rest on the Sabbath
σαββατίζω
This verb carries the same σαββατ- family into the act of Sabbath observance.
sabbatismos: Sabbath rest
σαββατισμός
This noun preserves the root’s sense of rest within the same Greek word family.
μνημεῖον
mnēmeion
GROWS FROM
μνη-
mnē-
Remembering or calling to mind.
The Greek word for the tomb belongs to the language of remembrance: a sepulchre is also a memorial. The women approach a place where the dead are remembered just as the day begins to emerge.
ALSO GROWS
mnēmē: Memory; remembrance
μνήμη
This noun shares the root and makes explicit the remembrance contained in the tomb’s name.
mnēmoneuō: To remember; to make mention of
μνημονεύω
This verb carries the same μνη- family into the act of remembering.
THE PATTERN
Scripture places renewal at the meeting point of darkness and rising light.
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.THE THREAD
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.Matthew uses the same Greek verb ἀνατέλλω (anatellō, to rise) for the sun’s rising. Mark locates the women’s approach at that emergence; Matthew shows the sun rising over every kind of person.
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