Matthew 27:51 Meaning and Explanation
“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Matthew pauses after Jesus yields up the ghost to describe events that cannot be reduced to the crowd's judgment. The torn veil and shaking earth direct our attention upward and outward. They ask what Jesus' death means for access to God, worship, creation, and holy fear.
At Jesus' death, the temple veil tears from top to bottom, and the earth and rocks quake. Matthew presents these events as signs of God's decisive action, marking the death of his Son with awe and consequence.
The Context of Matthew 27:51
Darkness has covered the land from the sixth hour to the ninth. Jesus cries out, and after another loud cry he yields up the ghost. Verse 51 immediately reports the temple veil torn in two from top to bottom, an earthquake, and rocks splitting. The next verses describe opened graves and saints appearing after Jesus' resurrection. The centurion and those watching see the earthquake and the events and confess that Jesus was the Son of God. Matthew then turns to faithful women watching, Joseph of Arimathaea's burial of Jesus, and the secured tomb. The signs stand at the hinge between Jesus' death and the coming resurrection.
What Does Matthew 27:51 Mean?
"And, behold" calls for attention to what follows Jesus' death. The "veil of the temple" was a real feature of the temple's worship, and Matthew says it "was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." The direction emphasizes that the tearing is not presented as an ordinary human act from below. Matthew joins this sign with an earthquake and rocks splitting, using language of creation shaken by a moment of grave importance. He does not give a detailed explanation of every physical circumstance. His narration clearly presents these events as signs accompanying the death of Jesus and demanding reverent attention from those who witness them.
The veil belongs to the temple, the God-given place of worship in Jerusalem. Its tearing therefore concerns the relation between Jesus' death and access to God. Hebrews later uses the veil as a powerful image while speaking of confidence to enter the holiest through Jesus' blood. Matthew does not say that God's holiness has become casual or that the temple's worship was empty. The sign declares a decisive divine work at the death of the Son. The earthquake also fits biblical scenes in which God's presence and acts bring trembling to creation. The centurion's fear and confession in the next verses show the fitting response: awe before the Son of God.
The later resurrection language in this same passage keeps the torn veil from being treated as a sign of mere loss. Graves are opened, and Matthew carefully says that the saints come out after Jesus' resurrection. Jesus' death and resurrection belong together in the chapter's witness. His yielding up the ghost opens the way toward life, worship, and hope. The tearing from top to bottom also recalls the Gospel's opening promise that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Through the crucified and risen Christ, people are drawn toward God with reverence and confidence. The shaking earth testifies that his death concerns more than one private sorrow; it reaches creation itself.
Bible Verses Related to Matthew 27:51
“And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.”
- Exodus 26:33
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.”
- Matthew 27:50
“By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;”
- Hebrews 10:20
“Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.”
- Matthew 27:54
Where Matthew 27:51 Echoes in Scripture
Hebrews 10:20 gives the strongest later echo by speaking of a new and living way through the veil, understood in relation to Christ's flesh. It does not treat access to God as careless familiarity. The surrounding passage calls believers to draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. Matthew's torn veil supplies the narrative sign that Hebrews later develops in relation to Jesus' sacrificial self-giving.
How to Apply Matthew 27:51 Today
The torn veil invites reverent confidence in drawing near to God through Christ. Prayer can include both honesty and awe, since the God who acts decisively at the cross is holy and merciful. This verse also encourages us to honor the embodied and communal dimensions of worship. Temple, veil, earth, rocks, death, and resurrection all matter in Matthew's account. When grief or sin makes God seem distant, we may remember that Christ's death has opened a living way toward God. We can approach with humility, seek reconciliation, and join our prayers to the hope of resurrection.
Reflection & Prayer
How might reverence and confidence grow together in our prayers and worship? Pray: "Holy God, teach us to behold the cross with awe. Through your Son, draw us near with truthful hearts, strengthen our hope of resurrection, and make our lives a fitting response to your mercy."