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John 11:54
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52 and anot for that nation only, but balso that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to aput Him to death.  
54 aTherefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called bEphraim, and there remained with His disciples.  
55 aAnd the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to bpurify themselves.  
56 aThen they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?”  
Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
<< John 11:53   John 11:55 >>


John 11:54

Therefore walked no more openly (oun ouketi parrhsiai periepatei). Imperfect active of peripatew, to walk around. Jesus saw clearly that to do so would bring on the end now instead of his "hour" which was to be at the passover a month ahead.

Into the country near to the wilderness (eiv thn xwran egguv thv erhmou). It was now in Jerusalem as it had become once in Galilee (John 7:1) because of the plots of the hostile Jews. The hill country northeast of Jerusalem was thinly populated.

Into a city called Ephraim (eiv Efraim legomenhn polin). Poliv here means no more than town or village (kwmh). The place is not certainly known, not mentioned elsewhere in the N.T. Josephus mentions (War, IV. ix. 9) a small fort near Bethel in the hill country and in II Chronicles 13:19 Ephron is named in connexion with Bethel. Up here Jesus would at least be free for the moment from the machinations of the Sanhedrin while he faced the coming catastrophe at the passover. He is not far from the mount of temptation where the devil showed and offered him the kingdoms of the world for the bending of the knee before him. Is it mere fancy to imagine that the devil came to see Jesus again here at this juncture with a reminder of his previous offer and of the present plight of the Son of God with the religious leaders conspiring his death? At any rate Jesus has the fellowship of his disciples this time (meta twn maqhtwn). But what were they thinking?




Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 11:54:

Matthew 19:1
Mark 10:1
Luke 17:11
John 7:13

 

<< John 11:53   John 11:55 >>

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