Matthew 28:13 (GNV)

Passage

Saying, Say, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:11 Nowe when they were gone, beholde, some of the watch came into the citie, and shewed vnto the hie Priestes all ye things that were done.

Matthew 28:12 And they gathered them together with the Elders, and tooke counsell, and gaue large money vnto the souldiers,

Matthew 28:13 Saying, Say, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

Matthew 28:14 And if this matter come before the gouernour to be heard, we will perswade him, and so vse the matter that you shall not neede to care.

Matthew 28:15 So they tooke the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is noysed among the Iewes vnto this day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saying", "disciples", "came", "night", "stole", "away", and "slept". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saying" and "disciples", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And they gathered them together with the..." into verse 14's "And if this matter come before the...", so "saying" and "disciples" 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 "saying" and "disciples" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.