And when the sabbath was past,.... "In the end of it", as Matthew says, Mt 28:1; not "when it was the sabbath", as the Arabic version reads; for it was not lawful to buy spices, and anoint with on the sabbath day; See Gill on "Mt 28:1".
Mary Magdalene, and Mary, [the mother of James,] and Salome; who was the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of the other James and John:had bought sweet spices; or "brought", as the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions read; for though the women might have bought some on the preparation day, the day before the sabbath, the same evening that Christ was buried, Lu 23:56, yet, they might buy more for the same purpose, after the sabbath was over: for this there was a particular market at Jerusalem ; for we are a told, that"there were there three markets, one by another; in the first of which were sold, all kinds of precious things, silks, and embroidered work; in the second, various kinds of fruits and herbs; and in the third, all kinds of spices.'
'That they might come and anoint him; with those sweet spices, as was the manner of the Jews: hence we read of, Mytm lv Mymvbh, "the spices of the dead"; which were used to expel an ungrateful savour: this they did, out of affection to Christ, but seemed to have no faith in his resurrection, though he had told them of it, which they had forgot.
The Vulgate Latin reads, "that they might anoint Jesus"; the Ethiopic version, "anoint his body": but the Arabic thus, "anoint the sepulchre"; his body being anointed before, and wound up by Joseph and Nicodemus; and therefore they came to strew the sepulchre with spices and ointments, and give it a sweet perfume.
Though it seems most likely, that they came to anoint his body; for this was one of the things which was customary in Israel to do to dead men, as Maimonides observes, Mymvb ynmb wtwa Nyko, "they anoint him with various sorts of spices".
Jechus Haabot, p. 24. Ed. Hottinger. Misn. Betacot, c. 8. sect. 6. & Barrenors in ib. T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 12. 2. Hiichot Ebel, c. 4. sect.