From fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
This verse shows that the power of the heavenly presence surpasses human strength: at the sight of the angel the guards were terrified and became “like dead men,” expressing human helplessness before the glory of God. What was supposed to keep watch over death fell before the power of the living God. Their fear highlights the contrast between the angel’s light and the dark souls of people. This episode shows that even those who were sent to shut out the testimony of the resurrection themselves became its unwilling witnesses.