The passage
      v1-16. In the opening section of this episode, John records Jesus' response to the serious illness that has overtaken his friend Lazarus. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus of their brother's illness, but Jesus waits two days before undertaking the day-long journey to Bethany. When Jesus receives the news he makes the point that the illness has a positive prognosis and that it will serve to bring glory to God. The sign itself will certainly honour God in Christ, but it will also set in motion the events that lead up to the ultimate expression of God's glory, namely, the death and resurrection of Christ. When Jesus finally decides to set off to Bethany, the disciples balk at going anywhere near Jerusalem, what with the present fury of the religious authorities. In their understanding, there is no need for a return trip, given that Lazarus is now on the mend ("sleeping"). Jesus finally explains that Lazarus is dead and that their faith is about to be strengthened.
      v17-27. While Mary is with the many mourners in the family home, Martha hears of Jesus' arrival on the outskirts of the village and so goes to meet him. She expresses her faith by making the point that had Jesus been able to come earlier, he could have prayed for the healing of Lazarus and her brother would now be alive. She goes on to affirm Jesus' statement that Lazarus "will rise again", although her mind is on the "resurrection at the last day." Jesus, in preparation for the coming sign, takes to himself the title of "resurrection and life" - Jesus is the one who raises the dead in the last day and enables them to live forever, never to die. Martha then affirms the truth that faith in Christ is the source of this life, and this because he is the Messiah.
      v28-37. Mary now learns that Jesus has arrived and goes out to greet him. Like Martha, she expresses her belief that had Jesus been able to come earlier he would have been able to heal Lazarus. Her words are often read as a criticism of Jesus, but they are actually an expression of faith. With everyone crying, Jesus himself gets choked up. Obviously, some of the people read this as a sign of Jesus' frustration and wonder why he couldn't keep Lazarus from dying.
      v38-45. Jesus now moves to the grave and asks for the cover-stone to be removed. Martha knows for sure that Lazarus is dead and makes the point that a four day old dead body will smell. Since it was commonly believed that the soul left the body after three days, Lazarus is now nothing more than a decomposing corpse. Jesus reminds Martha that he has just promised her that she would experience the powerful hand of God in Christ. Jesus now enacts this promise in his last and most amazing sign. First, he declares his assurance of the Father's cooperation in the sign ("will hear me", better than "have heard me"). Then, in an aside, Jesus notes that such a declaration serves only to drive home the sign to the onlookers and so help them come to faith. He then summons Lazarus, who stumbles out of the grave in his grave cloths and with a towel wrapped around his head. In the face of this amazing sign, many believe.

The resurrection and the life
      What is it that we fear most about death? Is it annihilation? Many people will answer "no", claiming that the business of dying actually outweighs their fear of death. We fear the loss of dignity, of freedom and particularly the painful side of dying. It was not so long ago that if someone had a serious fall in old age, or some other medical emergency, pneumonia, "the old man's friend", would set in and the person would pass away quietly in their own bed. Now we take our pain to unbearable limits just to squeeze out a few extra minutes of existence. That we hang on desperately to life probably illustrates that the stoic resolve with which we face our annihilation is more front than fact.
      There are still some people who fear death because they fear hell, although notions of a place of eternal punishment are fast receding in the psyche of Western man. Growing old, facing disability, pain and the loss of dignity, along with the end of being, these are our fears, and powerful motivators they are. Increasingly the urban technocrat looks to salve these fears through the white-coated medical professional rather than the robed priest.
      None-the-less, the words of Jesus remain to confront today's self-reliant humanity. Jesus claims of himself to be the resurrection and the life. That is, he claims that there will be a coming day when he will raise the dead from their grave, that the dust of our mortality will live again. He claims also, that once raised, we will never die again. Jesus is resurrection and he is life. This reality of eternal life is for all who believe, who believe in Jesus, or in simple terms, all who ask Jesus for eternal life.
      There is no escaping the indignity of dying. The body disintegrates with age and there is no escaping it, even for those who believe in the healing ministry of the church. Yet, what about after death? When it comes to our dust, Jesus claims authority. The issue is, do we recognize Jesus' authority and put our trust in him?

v2
      Treated as a parenthesis in Phillips, Moffatt +
      hJ de Mariam "this Mary" - and it was Mary
      aleiyasa (aleipw) aor. part. "the same one who poured" - the one having anointed. As with wiped, the Aorist is probably proleptic, ie., John is referring to a completed past event which is still future as far as the story is concerned, 12:1-8.
      murw/ (ov) "perfume" - ointment. Perfumed liniment.

v3
      apesteilan ....... legousai "sent word" - sent ..... saying. Typical Semitic form. "Sent a message to", CEV.
      kurie "Lord" - Possibly just "Sir", REB, or the messianic sense, "Lord", as NIV.
      ide (oJraw) aor. imp. "-" - behold, look. Used to reinforce the urgency of the message, "you should know", REB.
      oJn fileiV "the one you love" - the one whom you love, have affection for. "Your friend", REB, "Your dear friend."

v4
      akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "When he heard this" - having heard. Most likely a temporal participle. "When Jesus received the message", Phillips.
      ouk estin proV qanaton "will not end in death" - is not to/with a view to death. "Is not at all serious." Beasley-Murry suggests that the preposition proV, although followed by an accusative, should take a similar meaning as uJper, "for", thus "this illness is not for the purpose of death", ie. it's purpose is to glorify God. Carson suggests "will not end ultimately in death", ie. Lazarus may die, but resurrection awaits him. "Death will not be the final result of this sickness", TH, cf. 1Jn.5:16ff.
      all "no, it is" - but. Here the conjunction is adversative, "on the contrary." "Rather it is", NAB.
      uJper thV doxhV tou qeou "for God's glory" - for/on behalf of the glory of God. The preposition + gen. is translated "for", the sense being "but is to honour God", Williams, ie. serves to display/reveal how wonderful God is, so Barrett "in order to reveal God's glory." Possibly, "cause people to recognize how wonderful God is and give glory to him", although unlikely.
      iJna + subj. "so that" - Probably introducing a purpose (final) clause, but the possibility of a consequence / result (consecutive) clause should not be overlooked. If consecutive, the sense is not so much that the purpose of Lazarus' sickness, its intention, was for the glory of Christ, but that it served, as a consequence, to brings glory to Christ; "for it will show the glory of the Son of God", Phillips. The "glory" may be "honour" in that Jesus' raising of Lazarus reflects on his person, but it could refer to Jesus' death and resurrection. The murderess intention of the Pharisees is crystallized in the raising to life of Lazarus.
      authV pro. fem. gen. "[through] it" - Possibly referring to God's glory, but more likely Lazarus' sickness.

v5 -6
      Verse 5 serves to explain that Jesus' delay in attending to Lazarus is not out of disinterest in him. Reversing v5 and 6 would carry the sense better in English. "When Jesus heard ........ even though he cared deeply for Martha ....."

v7
      epeita meta touto "then" - then after this. "Only then", Phillips.

v8
      rJabbi "Rabbi" - teacher, Heb.
      nun adv. "a short while ago" - now. The Classical sense of the word applies here, referring to something that occurred recently. "It is not long since", REB.
      uJpageiV (uJpagw) pres. "you are going back" - you go. Expressing intention, "you intend/plan to go", "are you planning to go back", TEV.

v9
      ouci "not" - The negative serves to form a question expecting a positive answer. "A day has twelve hours, doesn't it?" TEV.
      ean + subj. "-" - Introducing a conditional sentence. "If a person walks while it is light, they will not stumble."
      en th/ hJmera "by day" - in the day. "Daytime", JB.
      oJti "for" - because.
      to fwV tou kosmou toutou "this world's light" - the light of this world. The reason the man does not stumble is because the sunlight helps him see where he is going. The Greek is often translated literally to help underline the allusion to Christ, the light of the world. Yet, does Jesus intend this allusion? Surely, the proverb is about the wisdom of actions that are based on knowledge. Jesus knows what he is doing and the disciples should recognize this by now. "If a man walks in the daytime, he does not stumble, because he has the daylight to see by", Phillips.

v10
      fwV ouk stin en autw "he has no light" - the light is not with/by him. The sense is "there is no light for him to see where he is walking", "he cannot see where he is going", Phillips.

v11
      oJ filoV hJmwn "our friend" - the friend of us. It is unlikely that the phrase is a euphemism for a disciple.
      kekoimhtai (koimaw) perf. pas. "has fallen asleep" - An interesting euphemism for death and one that is taken up by Paul in his epistles. The image of "asleep in the arms of Jesus" is one often used by believers to describe the condition of a deceased loved-one awaiting the day of resurrection. Of course, the idea implies that the dead are bound by time. Jesus' words to the thief, "this evening you will be with me in paradise", reminds us that such is not the case. Both the dead and the living must await the day of resurrection at Christ's return, but even now they reign with Christ in eternity. So much for time!
      iJna + subj. "to" - in order to. Introducing a purpose clause.
      exupnisw (exupnizw) aor. subj. "wake [him] up"

v12
      swqhsetai (swzw) fut. pas. "he will get better" - he will be saved. The disciples have taken Jesus' "asleep" literally, understanding that Lazarus is in recovery mode and sleeping off his illness, v13. "He will get well", TEV, "recover", REB.

v13
      thV koimhsewV tou uJpnou "natural sleep" - the rest of sleep. This is a tricky phrase although the NIV, + most others, gets the gist of it. "Sleep in the sense of slumber", NAB.

v14
      parrhsia/ (a) "plainly" - openly, clearly. Adverbial function. Sometimes with the meaning "boldly". "Jesus boldly spoke the truth, trusting that His disciples would not fail, but would receive it", Morris.

v15
      Lit. "And I rejoice because of you, in order that / so that / you might believe, that / because I was not there ......" The sentence needs reconstructing so as to convey the idea that Jesus is happy that he refrained from attending to Lazarus' need since the miracle he will now perform will serve to encourage faith in the disciples.
      iJna + subj. "so that [you may believe]" - Purpose
      pisteushte (pisteuw) aor. subj. "you may believe" - The aorist possibly identifies the commencement of belief, "that you may learn to believe", Phillips.

v16
      oJ legomenoV DidumoV "(called Didymus)" - being called Didymus/Twin. "Whose nickname was Twin", TH.
      toiV summaqhtaiV "to the rest of the disciples" - to the fellow disciples. Used only here in the NT. The word may underline a common purpose among the disciples such that Thomas is speaking for all the disciples.
      iJna + subj. "that [we may die with him]" - in order that. Purpose clause. This brave willingness to die fails to eventuate when the chips are down. Thomas is also somewhat pessimistic, as if the mission is all but a failure and all that can now be achieved is to hurl oneself at the crushing hand of fate.

v17
      elqwn (ercomai) aor. part. "on his arrival" - having come. Forming a temporal clause, "when he arrived", Phillips.
      econta (ecw) pres. part. "had already been [in the tomb]" - having. The present tense implies continuity with regard the burial. Lazarus has been buried for four days. The mention of four days serves to underline the fact that Lazarus is dead, given that it was commonly held that the soul remained with the body three days before departing.

v18
      stadiwn dekapente "two miles" - fifteen stadia. 2 miles, aprox. 3 kilometers. This note serves to explain why so many acquaintances ("Jews") could be present with Martha and Mary, ie. "Bethany is close to Jerusalem ......"

v19
      polloi de ek twn Ioudaiwn adj. "and many Jews" - and many of the Judeans, many people from Judea. The commonly translated "Jews" implies Jewish officials, but they were just relatives, neighbors and friends, therefore "people", "many people had come from the city", CEV.
      elhluqeisan (ercomai) pluperf. "had come" - Expressing a past event with present ramifications, ie. the Jews had come to Mary and Martha and were still there.
      iJna paramuqhswntai (paramuqeomai) subj. "to comfort" - in order that they might console / encourage / cheer up. The subjunctive expressing purpose. "To offer them sympathy over their brother's death", Phillips.

v20
      wJV "when" - when, while, as.
      hkousen (akouw) "heard" - In the sense of "got wind of the news." "Then Martha, hearing of the arrival of Jesus", Moffatt.
      ekaqezeto (kaqezomai) imperf. "[Mary] stayed [at home]" - was sitting. The implication given by most translations, and underlined by some (REB), is that Mary, with Martha, had become aware of Jesus' arrival, but remained at home. Yet, the "sitting" is a proper position for mourning and so it is more likely that John is telling us that Mary is unaware of Jesus' arrival, since she is at home taking her turn as the family representative in the public grieving process. "...... to meet him. Mary, on the other hand, was in the family home with the other mourners, unawares that Jesus had arrived."

v21
      ei + imperf + an "if" ..... (then) - Forming a conditional sentence contrary to fact. Martha's words can be taken as critical of Jesus' failure to come to them, but the words are more likely a faith statement. Martha is affirming a regrettable fact, namely, had Jesus been able to get to Lazarus before he died, he would have been able to heal him.

v22
      oida perf. "I know" - Extensive perfect. Martha knows and therefore, as a consequence, believes that .....
      kai nun "even now" - NIV follows the bulk of translators on this phrase, but other possibilities exist. "But now - well, I know ...", Moffatt; "but nevertheless", TH.
      oJsa an aithsh/ aor. subj. "whatever you ask" - whatever you may request. It is unlikely that Martha is expressing a belief in Jesus' capacity to raise the dead. It is more likely that this verse is simply a reaffirmation of v21. She knows that Jesus could have healed Lazarus because God listens to him. Note that Jesus never uses this verb of his own prayers. Jesus will often use erwtaw. Is John implying a distinction between the two?

v23
      anasthsetai (anisthmi) fut. "will rise again" - The TEV suggests "will rise to life" to make Jesus' statement more explicit. Martha certainly understands Jesus' words as a reference to the resurrection of the dead on the last day.

v25
      hJ anastasiV (iV ewV) "the resurrection" - "I myself am resurrection and life", Goodspeed. Jesus causes the dead to rise, and it is he who gives them life. Jesus is the provider of .." It is often argued that "resurrection" and "life" are the same thing. The following words probably serve to explain the distinction between the two words, namely, "resurrection" is a coming to life, v25b, while "life" is a staying alive, never dying, v26a.
      kai hJ zwn "and the life" - Omitted in some manuscripts. It is easy to explain why the phrase would be added, but not why it would be omitted. JB leaves it out.
      oJ pisteuwn (pisteuw) pres. part. "he who believes" - "Everyone who has faith in me", CEV. The present tense of this substantival phrase may well carry the sense "everyone who continues to have faith in me", rather than just the descriptive, "believers", which is the likely sense of the aorist form.
      kan + subj. - Forming a conditional sentence

v26
      oJ zwn (zaw) pres. part. "whoever lives" - everyone living. It is often argued that the life referred to here is spiritual life, ie. a person who is spiritually alive will not face spiritual death, ie. separation from God. Yet, it is more likely referring to resurrection life. The believing one, the one who has been raised to life by Jesus, will never die.

v27
      egw "I" - Emphatic
      pepisteuka (pisteuw) perf. "I believe" - The perfect tense carries the sense of a past believing in Christ that continues; she has believed and continues to believe.
      oJti "that" - Introducing a dependent statement of perception identifying the content of her belief.
      oJ cristoV "the Christ" - messiah, the promised saviour of Israel, the anointed one.
      oJ uiJoV tou qeou "the Son of God" - This commonly used term sometimes indicates Jesus' filial association with God, but in the mouth of others can range in meaning from little more than a godly person to someone close to God, or even another title for the messiah.
      oJ eiV ton kosmon ercomenoV "who was to come into the world" - the one into the world coming. "Who was destined to come into the world", TH, the one whom God has determined to send into the world.

v28
      laqra/ adv. "aside" - secretly. "Privately", TEV.
      fwnei (fwnew) "asking for" - call, shout.

v29
      hgerqh tacu "she got up quickly" - she arose quickly. "She sprung to her feet", Phillips.

v30
      oupw de elhluqei (ercomai) pluperf. "now [Jesus] had not yet entered" - had not yet come [into]. Possibly "arrived at", TEV. Jesus is obviously stalled on the outskirts of the village, or moving very slowly toward it.

v31
      paramuqoumenoi (paramuqew) pres. part. "comforting" - comforting, consoling. "Condoling", Phillips.
      idonteV (eidon) aor. part. "when [the Jews]" ...... noticed" - having seen. The participle forms a temporal clause.
      doxanteV (dokew) aor. part. "supposing" - having supposed, thinking. The participle possibly forms a causal clause. "As they imagined", Moffatt. A variant has "saying".
      iJna + subj. "to [mourn there]" - Forming a Final (purpose) clause, "in order that she might weep there", TH. Probably "wail".

v32
      idousa (oJraw) aor. part. "when ..... saw" - seeing. Participle forms a temporal clause.

v33
      enebrimhsato (embrimaomai) aor. mid. "he was deeply moved" - he was moved with indignation. The word is often used to express deep feelings of anger, although translators usually soften it here to "groan", "sigh", even joining the word with "troubled" to produce "terribly upset", CEV, "profoundly moved", Morris. None-the-less, anger may well be the emotion here as Jesus is confronted by Satan's trump card, namely, death.
      tw/ pneumati (a atoV) "in spirit" - Identifying the seat of our emotions, so for us, "heart" would be a better word to use, "his heart was touched", TEV.
      etaraxen (tarassw) aor. "troubled" - troubled, disturbed. Used with the reflective pronoun, so literally "he troubled himself"; "he shuddered", Brown; "he was visibly distressed", Phillips.

v34
      teqeikate (tiqhmi) perf. "have you laid" - placed, put. "Where have you buried him?" TEV.

v35
      edakrusen (dakruw) "wept" - A hapax legomenon (once only use in the NT). Although the NIV etc. has "wept" for Mary and Jesus, Mary is "wailing", while Jesus is simply shedding a tear. "Jesus was choked up" [on the basis that real men don't cry!!!]

v36
      elegon oun ouJ Ioudaioi "Then the Jews said" - "The people said to one another", TH.
      ide "see" - look, behold, pay attention. This interjection forms an imperatival clause, but a statement probably carries the sense better, "how dearly he must have loved him", REB.

v37
      ouk edunato (dunamai) imperf. pas. "could not" - was not able. The negated verb expects an answer in the affirmative, indicating that the people, unlike the Pharisees, did believe that Jesus was capable of performing miracles. "Some of the people said to one another."
      The independent clause "who opened the eyes of the blind man", although within the Greek sentence, as NIV, makes for a smoother read outside the question. "He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?" CEV. Morris suggests that this is a sincere comment made by those who have interpreted Jesus' tears as a sign of frustration.

v38
      embrimwmenoV en eJautw/ "deeply moved" - being angry within himself. Note how "in himself" replaces "in the spirit", v33.
      sphlaion (on) "a cave" - cave, den, hideout. The common shape of a grave was a vertical shaft, but it is unclear whether John intends this word to describe such a hole.
      liqoV (oV) "stone" - Used to keep animals away from the corpse.

v39
      arate (airw) aor. imp. "take away [the stone]" - lift. Aorist implies immediacy, do it now.
      tou teteleuthkotoV (teleutaw) part. "of the dead man" - of the one having died.
      tetartaioV adj. "four days" - on the fourth day. "He is a fourth day man", Morris.
      ozei (ozw) "there is a bad odor" - he stinks/smells. The Jews did not mummify the dead, which was lucky for Lazarus, for in mummification they throw away some of the less vital organs, eg. the brains! The usual anointing of the body would not cover the smell of decomposition. This observation serves to underline the fact that Lazarus had indeed died.

v40
      ouk - The negation expects an answer in the positive.
      ean + subj. "if" - A conditional sentence implying a possible result, ie. 3rd class condition.
      thn dozan tou qeou "the glory of God" - In typical fashion, John does not repeat the previous promise made to those who believe, v25-26, but restates the nub of it. "You will see how powerful God is", TH, in that you will witness a sign that proclaims that those who believe will rise to new life and never again die.

v41
      hren touV ofqalmouV anw "Jesus looked up" - lifted his eyes up, looked upward. "Looked heavenward", "looked up toward heaven", CEV. A common attitude in prayer, cf. 17:1.
      eucaristw pres. "I thank [you]" - A continuous action of thanking, central to prayer, but interestingly, the request itself is not recorded.
      hkousaV (akouw) aor. "you have heard" - you heard. The aorist indicates we may be dealing with a particular prayer, either past or present, that is unrecorded. The prayer would be for the raising of Lazarus. It is also quite possible that we are dealing with a proleptic aorist where the prayer is still future, but the outcome is assured. Is the prayer, "Lazarus, come out"? Such language is typical of Jesus healings, said prayerfully under God. So, Jesus gives thanks prior to his faith-act so that "they may believe that you sent me."

v42
      Moffatt has this verse in parenthesis. It functions as a comment about why Jesus has said thanks aloud and therefore is misleading when left as the continuation of direct speech attached to v41b, as NIV. At best, the verse is an aside.
      alla "but" - Adversative sense is best here.
      hdein (oida) pluperf. "knew" - Jesus was well aware that the Father would act on / support his call for Lazarus to rise from the dead.
      iJna + subj. "that" - Forming a final (purpose) clause. Jesus gave thanks for the miracle before it was performed "so that / in order that" the people might "believe". Again note, the content of belief is defined.

v43
      ekraugasen (kraugazw) "called" - shouted, cried out loudly. Probably serving to express a forceful command by Jesus.
      deuro exw "come out" - here outside. A literal translation of this interjection and adverb works quite well, "Here! outside!"

v44
      oJ teqnhkwV (qnhskw) perf. part. "the dead man" - the one having died. The articular participle forms a substantive which, taking the perfect tense, underlines a past circumstance with ongoing consequences, ie. Lazarus died and is dead [but now walks].
      dedemenoV (dew) "wrapped" - bind. "Bound" certainly reflects the common meaning of this verb, but the so called "strips of linen" is actually "sheets", even "grave cloths". It is obvious we all carry the image of Lon Chaney doing his thing in the Mummy's Curse. Possibly "wrapped", but "covered" or "draped over" would be better. Note the typical cloth / towel covering the face. It is "wrapped around", ie "bound" around the head. The prefix "around" of the verb "bind" makes this clear.

v45
      proV + acc. "to visit [Mary]" - toward, to. Most translations add "visit". The RSV has "with", denoting a friendly relationship between Mary and her friends, and therefore referring to the people who came with Mary from the house to the graveside. This does solve the problem of why Martha isn't included with Mary, assuming that the people came to visit both of them.
      aJ pro. neut. pl. "what" - the things which. "Observed what Jesus did", Phillips goes with the less supported singular variant which certainly makes more sense than the plural.