And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

And returning, they prepared spices and ointments; and on the sabbath day they rested, according to the commandment.

And having returned they prepared aromatic spices and ointments, and remained quiet on the sabbath, according to the commandment.

and having turned back, they made ready spices and ointments, and on the sabbath, indeed, they rested, according to the command.

Then they returned, and prepared spices and perfumes. On the Sabbath they rested in obedience to the Commandment.

And they went back and got ready spices and perfumes; and on the Sabbath they took their rest, in agreement with the law.

and then went home, and prepared spices and perfumes. During the Sabbath they rested, as directed by the commandment.

Prepared spices and ointments - This was in order to embalm him; which sufficiently proves that they had no hope of his resurrection the third day.
And rested the Sabbath day - For though the Jewish canons allowed all works, necessary for the dead, to be done, even on the Sabbath, such as washing and anointing, provided they moved not a limb of the dead person, yet, as the Jews had put Christ to death under the pretense of his being a malefactor, it would not have been either prudent or safe to appear too forward in the present business; and therefore they rested on the Sabbath.
Certain copies of the Itala have some remarkable additions in these concluding verses. The conclusion of the 48th verse, in one of them, is read thus: Beating their breasts and their foreheads, and saying, Wo to us because of what is done this day, on account of our sins; for the desolation of Jerusalem is at hand. To Luke 23:52, another adds: And when Pilate heard that he was dead, he glorified God and gave the body to Joseph. On the circumstances of the crucifixion, see the observations at the end of Matthew 27 (note), and consider how heinous sin must be in the sight of God, when it required such a sacrifice!

And they returned,.... To the city, and to their own houses, or to some one of them;
and prepared spices and ointments; for the anointing, and embalming the body of Christ, called by the Jews the spices of the dead; see the note on Mark 16:1
and rested the sabbath day, according to the commandment, in Exodus 20:8 not knowing as yet the abolition of it, with the rest of the ceremonial law; and therefore, though they had bought and prepared the spices and ointments, they did not carry them to the sepulchre to anoint the body with them, till the sabbath was over; for this was forbidden to be done on a sabbath day. It is asked (f),
"what is that thing that is lawful to be done to a living man, and is forbidden a dead man? It is said, , "this is anointing".''
Though elsewhere (g) this
"is allowed of; for so runs one of their traditions; they do all things necessary for the dead, (i.e. on a sabbath day,) "they anoint", and wash him, only they may not move a limb of him.''
But how he could be anointed, and washed, without a limb being moved, is not very easy to say, as his foot, or hand, or eye brows, which are the parts one of their commentators instances in (h).
(f) T. Hieros. Sahbat. fol. 12. 2. (g) Misn. Sabbat. c. 23, sect. 5. (h) Bartenora in ib.