{Now late on the sabbath as it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week} (opse de sabbat(936e), t(8869) epiph(9373)kous(8869) eis
mian sabbat(936e)). This careful chronological statement according
to Jewish days clearly means that before the sabbath was over,
that is before six P.M., this visit by the women was made "to see
the sepulchre" (	heor(8873)ai ton taphon). They had seen the place
of burial on Friday afternoon ( Mr 15:47  Mt 27:61  Lu 23:55 ).
They had rested on the sabbath after preparing spices and
ointments for the body of Jesus ( Lu 23:56 ), a sabbath of
unutterable sorrow and woe. They will buy other spices after
sundown when the new day has dawned and the sabbath is over ( Mr
16:1 ). Both Matthew here and Luke ( Lu 23:54 ) use dawn
(epiph(9373)k(935c)) for the dawning of the twenty-four hour-day at
sunset, not of the dawning of the twelve-hour day at sunrise. The
Aramaic used the verb for dawn in both senses. The so-called
Gospel of Peter has epiph(9373)k(935c) in the same sense as Matthew and
Luke as does a late papyrus. Apparently the Jewish sense of
"dawn" is here expressed by this Greek verb. Allen thinks that
Matthew misunderstands Mark at this point, but clearly Mark is
speaking of sunrise and Matthew of sunset. Why allow only one
visit for the anxious women?