Matthew 28:4 (KJV)

Passage

And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Matthew 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

Matthew 28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

Matthew 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "His countenance was like lightning and his..." into verse 5's "And the angel answered and said unto...", so "fear" and "keepers" 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 "keepers" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.