Matthew 28:4 (DRB)

Passage

And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror and became as dead men.

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:2 And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and coming rolled back the stone and sat upon it.

Matthew 28:3 And his countenance was as lightning and his raiment as snow.

Matthew 28:4 And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror and became as dead men.

Matthew 28:5 And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you: for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here. For he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fear", "guards", "struck", "terror", "became", and "dead". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fear" and "guards", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And his countenance was as lightning and..." into verse 5's "And the angel answering said to the...", so "fear" and "guards" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fear" and "guards" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.