Matthew 28:4 (WEB)

Passage

For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:2 Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.

Matthew 28:3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

Matthew 28:4 For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.

Matthew 28:5 The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fear", "guards", "shook", "became", "like", 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 "His appearance was like lightning and his..." into verse 5's "The angel answered the women Don t...", 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.