The Meaning of John 20:13 Explained

John 20:13

KJV: And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

YLT: And they say to her, 'Woman, why dost thou weep?' she saith to them, 'Because they took away my Lord, and I have not known where they laid him;'

Darby: And they say to her, Woman, why dost thou weep? She says to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

ASV: And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  they  say  unto her,  Woman,  why  weepest thou?  She saith  unto them,  Because  they have taken away  my  Lord,  and  I know  not  where  they have laid  him. 

What does John 20:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The angels asked Mary why she was weeping because weeping was inappropriate in view of Jesus" resurrection. However, Mary did not yet comprehend that Jesus had risen. Her answer revealed that she still thought that someone had removed Jesus" body from the tomb. She still doubted the Resurrection in spite of the angels" earlier announcement that Jesus had risen from the dead. That earlier announcement had produced some initial enlightenment and joy ( Matthew 28:6; Matthew 28:8; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6; Luke 24:8). Mary still wanted to mourn over Jesus" body but did not know where it was. Perhaps her inconsistent behavior is more understandable if we remember that many people in that part of the world still express their grief almost uncontrollably.

Context Summary

John 20:11-18 - The Joy Of The Resurrection
Mary wept with hopeless sorrow, with no thought that Jesus was risen, and anxious only to secure the body of her dear Master and Friend. It is because we know so little of the inner meaning of events which are happening around us, under the hand of God, that we weep so bitterly. What we suppose we have lost is really close at hand, and what we count disastrous is part of the process designed to irradiate our lives for evermore.
In her grief Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener, but who shall say that she was greatly mistaken? for surely Jesus is the Keeper of the Church, which may fitly be compared to a garden. At that moment He had come into it to lift up one drooping flower. She recognized the intonation of His voice, for speech is ever a telltale. In the resurrection we shall hear again tones that we have not heard since childhood. In John 20:17 women receive the highest authority for acting as evangelists. Let them tell out the glad news of a love that is stronger than death, and which passes through death undiminished and unchanged. Our beloved are waiting for us in the garden of Paradise. We shall hear and see them and be with them forever. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 20

1  Mary comes to the tomb;
3  so do Peter and John, ignorant of the resurrection
11  Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene,
19  and to his disciples
24  The incredulity and confession of Thomas
30  The Scripture is sufficient to salvation

Greek Commentary for John 20:13

I do not know [ουκ οιδα]
Singular here, not plural as in John 20:2, because clearly Mary is alone here. But the problem is the same. She did not see Peter and John at the tomb. [source]
She saith []
She is so absorbed in her grief and love that she is not appalled by the supernatural manifestation which, under ordinary circumstances, would have terrified her, but enters into conversation as if addressed by a human being. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 20:13

John 2:4 Woman []
Implying no severity nor disrespect. Compare John 20:13, John 20:15. It was a highly respectful and affectionate mode of address. [source]

What do the individual words in John 20:13 mean?

And say to her they Woman why weep you She says to them Because they have taken away the Lord of me not I know where they have laid Him
Καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῇ ἐκεῖνοι Γύναι τί κλαίεις Λέγει αὐτοῖς Ὅτι Ἦραν τὸν Κύριόν μου οὐκ οἶδα ποῦ ἔθηκαν αὐτόν

λέγουσιν  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
αὐτῇ  to  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Γύναι  Woman 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Feminine Singular
Root: γυνή  
Sense: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow.
τί  why 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: τίς  
Sense: who, which, what.
κλαίεις  weep  you 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: κλαίω  
Sense: to mourn, weep, lament.
Λέγει  She  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ὅτι  Because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Ἦραν  they  have  taken  away 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: αἴρω  
Sense: to raise up, elevate, lift up.
Κύριόν  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
μου  of  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
οἶδα  I  know 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: οἶδα  
Sense: to see.
ποῦ  where 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ποῦ  
Sense: somewhere.
ἔθηκαν  they  have  laid 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: τίθημι  
Sense: to set, put, place.