What is the meaning of Luke 24:9?

And when they returned from the tomb

• The women had gone at dawn to an actual, physical tomb and found it empty, just as Luke 24:1-7 reports.

• Their return underscores that the resurrection event happened in real space and time—see also Matthew 28:8 and Mark 16:8, where the women hurry away “with great joy.”

• The empty tomb, angelic message, and rolled-away stone confirmed God’s power over death, fulfilling Jesus’ own words in Luke 9:22.

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they reported

• Their first instinct was to speak—eyewitness faith always looks outward (Acts 4:20; 1 John 1:1-3).

• The verb shows intentional communication, not casual chatter; they delivered a truthful testimony of what they saw and heard (Luke 24:4-8).

• By immediately telling others, the women became the first human heralds of the risen Christ, modeling the Great Commission later given in Matthew 28:18-20.

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all these things

• “These things” include:

– the stone rolled away (Luke 24:2)

– the absence of Jesus’ body (Luke 24:3)

– the angels’ announcement: “He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:6)

– the reminder of Jesus’ own prophecies (Luke 24:7)

• The completeness of their report guards the integrity of the resurrection account, paralleling Paul’s detailed list of appearances in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.

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to the Eleven

• Judas is gone (Luke 22:3-6; Acts 1:16-20), so the core apostolic circle now numbers eleven.

• Their inclusion highlights God’s design that the apostles be primary witnesses (Luke 24:33-34; John 20:19-24).

• Hearing the news prepared them for Jesus’ personal appearance later that day (Luke 24:36-43).

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and to all the others

• More disciples were gathered than just the Eleven—Luke later mentions “about a hundred and twenty” believers (Acts 1:15).

• The broader audience shows that resurrection truth was never meant for a secret elite; it was proclaimed to the entire believing community (Luke 24:33; Acts 2:32).

• This wide dissemination anticipates the worldwide spread of the gospel (Acts 1:8).

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summary

Luke 24:9 depicts the women returning from the empty tomb and faithfully sharing every detail of the resurrection with both the Eleven and the larger body of disciples. Their swift, comprehensive testimony verifies the historical reality of Christ’s victory over death and sets in motion the witness that will reach “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).