Arimathea (Arimathaea)

Arimathaea, 'a city of the Jews,' is known in Scripture only as the hometown of Joseph, the rich man and 'honorable counsellor' who buried Jesus. Luke notes that Joseph had not consented to the council's decision against Jesus and that he 'waited for the kingdom of God.' John adds that he had been a disciple secretly, for fear of the Jews, until the day of the crucifixion, when he went boldly to Pilate, asked for the body, and laid it in his own new tomb hewn out in the rock. Many identify Arimathaea with Ramathaim-zophim, the hometown of Samuel, though the exact site remains uncertain.

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Details

Region: Canaan
Modern Location: Location uncertain. Often identified with Ramathaim-zophim (Ramah) or with the village of Rentis, in the hills northwest of Jerusalem.

Strongest connections in Scripture

Matthew 27 Luke 23 John 19

Journey Paths

Joseph of Arimathea's Journey

Jerusalem → Arimathea (Arimathaea)

Key Passages

A Rich Man of Arimathaea

Matthew 27:57-60

Joseph begs the body of Jesus and lays it in his own new tomb.

W⁵⁷hen the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:

⁵⁸ He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. ⁵⁹ And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

A Good Man, and a Just

Luke 23:50-53

Luke describes Joseph as a counsellor who had not consented to the deed.

A⁵⁰nd, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:

⁵¹ (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. ⁵³ And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

A Secret Disciple Steps Forward

John 19:38

Fear gives way to courage as Joseph asks Pilate for the body.

A³⁸nd after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

Did You Know?

All four Gospels mention Joseph of Arimathaea, but none of them describes where his hometown was.

Mark calls Joseph 'an honourable counsellor,' a member of the Jewish council.

Joseph's gift of a rich man's tomb fulfillled Isaiah's word that the Servant would be 'with the rich in his death.'

Key Chapters

Matthew 27 The Crucifixion 8 min read Luke 23 The Trial and Crucifixion 7 min read John 19 The Crucifixion and Burial 6 min read