BibleTools
John 11:2
Compare all

The Death of Lazarus

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of aMary and her sister Martha.  
2 aIt was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So, when He heard that he was sick, aHe stayed two more days in the place where He was.  
7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to astone You, and are You going there again?”  
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? aIf anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the blight of this world.  
10 But aif one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”  
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus asleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”  
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
16 Then aThomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”  

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  
Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
<< John 11:1   John 11:3 >>


John 11:2

And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair (hn de Mariam h aleiyasa ton kurion murw kai ekmacasa touv podav autou taiv qricin authv). This description is added to make plainer who Mary is "whose brother Lazarus was sick" (hv o adelfov Lazarov hsqenei). There is an evident proleptic allusion to the incident described by John in John 12:1-8 just after chapter 11. As John looks back from the end of the century it was all behind him, though the anointing (h aleiyasa, first aorist active articular participle of aleifw, old verb for which see Mark 6:13) took place after the events in chapter 11. The aorist participle is timeless and merely pictures the punctiliar act. The same remark applies to ekmacasa, old verb ekmassw, to wipe off or away (Isaiah 12:3; Isaiah 13:5; Luke 7:38, Luke 7:44). Note the Aramaic form Mariam as usual in John, but Mariav in verse John 11:1. When John wrote, it was as Jesus had foretold (Matthew 26:13), for the fame of Mary of Bethany rested on the incident of the anointing of Jesus. The effort to link Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene and then both names with the sinful woman of Luke 7:36-50 is gratuitous and to my mind grotesque and cruel to the memory of both Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene. Bernard may be taken as a specimen: "The conclusion is inevitable that John (or his editor) regarded Mary of Bethany as the same person who is described by Luke as amartwlov." This critical and artistic heresy has already been discussed in Vol. II on Luke's Gospel. Suffice it here to say that Luke introduces Mary Magdalene as an entirely new character in Luke 8:2 and that the details in Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8 have only superficial resemblances and serious disagreements. John is not here alluding to Luke's record, but preparing for his own in chapter 12. What earthly difficulty is there in two different women under wholly different circumstances doing a similar act for utterly different purposes?




Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 11:2:

John 4:1
John 12:3

 

<< John 11:1   John 11:3 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,200+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page