Lazarus: Probably the Greek form of the Hebrew name Eleazar, meaning “God Has Helped.”

Bethany: A village on the ESE slope of the Mount of Olives at a distance of about 3 km (2 mi) from Jerusalem. (Joh 11:18) The home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, located in this village, appears to have been Jesus’ base in Judea. (Joh 11:1) Today the site is marked by a small village with an Arabic name meaning “The Place of Lazarus.”

Lazarus: See study note on Lu 16:20.

Bethany: See study note on Mt 21:17.

Judeans: Or “Jews.” Though the Greek word can properly be rendered “Jews” here (as at Joh 10:31, 33), Jesus had just told his disciples: “Let us go into Judea again.” Therefore, the rendering “Judeans” is used to show that it was the Jews from Judea who had tried to stone him.​—Joh 11:7.

has not died but is sleeping: In the Bible, death is often likened to sleep. (Ps 13:3; Joh 11:11-14; Ac 7:60; 1Co 7:39; 15:51; 1Th 4:13) Jesus was going to bring the girl back to life, so he may have said this because he would demonstrate that just as people can be awakened from a deep sleep, they can be brought back from death. Jesus’ power to resurrect the girl came from his Father, “who makes the dead alive and calls the things that are not as though they are.”​—Ro 4:17.

he fell asleep in death: The Scriptures use the expressions “sleep” and “fall asleep” to refer both to physical sleep (Mt 28:13; Lu 22:45; Joh 11:12; Ac 12:6) and to the sleep of death (Joh 11:11; Ac 7:60; 13:36; 1Co 7:39; 15:6, 51; 2Pe 3:4). When these expressions are used in contexts that refer to death, Bible translators often use such wording as “fall asleep in death” or simply “died,” which helps the reader avoid confusion. In the figurative sense, the term “asleep” is applied in the Scriptures to those who have died because of the sin and death passed on from Adam.​—See study notes on Mr 5:39; Joh 11:11.

has fallen asleep: In the Bible, death is often likened to sleep. (Ps 13:3; Mr 5:39; Ac 7:60; 1Co 7:39; 15:51; 1Th 4:13) Jesus was going to bring Lazarus back to life. Therefore, he may have said this to demonstrate that just as people can be awakened from a deep sleep, they can be brought back from death. The power to resurrect Lazarus came from Jesus’ Father, “who makes the dead alive and calls the things that are not as though they are.”​—Ro 4:17; see study notes on Mr 5:39; Ac 7:60.

Thomas: This Greek name comes from an Aramaic word meaning “Twin.” The apostle Thomas was known by another Greek name, Diʹdy·mos (in some English Bibles rendered “Didymus”), which also means Twin.

already been in the tomb for four days: When Lazarus fell seriously ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus. (Joh 11:1-3) Jesus was a journey of two days or so from Bethany, and Lazarus apparently died about the time that the news reached Jesus. (Joh 10:40) Jesus “remained in the place where he was for two more days,” and then he left for Bethany. (Joh 11:6, 7) By waiting for two days and then traveling for two days, he arrived at the tomb four days after Lazarus’ death. Jesus had already performed at least two resurrections​—one right after the death of the person and the other likely sometime later on the day of death. (Lu 7:11-17; 8:49-55; compare Mt 11:5.) But he had not yet raised up someone who had been dead for four days and whose body had already begun to decompose. (Joh 11:39) There was an erroneous belief among the Jews that the soul remained with a dead body for three days, and then it left. Even those holding such a belief would be convinced that Jesus had performed an exceptional miracle in the case of Lazarus.​—Joh 12:9, 10, 17.

tomb: Or “memorial tomb.”​—See Glossary, “Memorial tomb.”

about two miles: About 3 km. Lit., “about 15 stadia.” The Greek word staʹdi·on (singular) denotes a linear measurement that equaled 185 m (606.95 ft), or one eighth of a Roman mile.​—See Glossary, “Mile,” and App. B14.

I know he will rise: Martha thought that Jesus was talking about the future resurrection, on the last day. (See study note on Joh 6:39.) Her faith in that teaching was remarkable. Some religious leaders of her day, called Sadducees, denied that there would be a resurrection, though it is a clear teaching in the inspired Scriptures. (Da 12:13; Mr 12:18) On the other hand, the Pharisees believed in the immortality of the soul. Martha knew, however, that Jesus taught the resurrection hope and had even performed resurrections, although not of anyone who had been dead as long as Lazarus had been.

I should resurrect them on the last day: Jesus states four times that he will resurrect people on the last day. (Joh 6:40, 44, 54) At Joh 11:24, Martha too refers to “the resurrection on the last day.” (Compare Da 12:13; see study note on Joh 11:24.) At Joh 12:48, this “last day” is associated with a time of judgment, which will apparently correspond to the Thousand Year Reign of Christ when he will judge mankind, including all those resurrected from the dead.​—Re 20:4-6.

has life in himself: Or “has in himself the gift of life.” Jesus has “life in himself” because his Father granted him powers that originally only Jehovah had. These powers no doubt include the authority to give humans the opportunity to have a fine standing before God and thus gain life. They would also include the ability to impart life by resurrecting the dead. About a year after Jesus made the statement recorded here, he indicated that his followers could have life in themselves.​—For the meaning of the expression “life in yourselves” as it applies to Jesus’ followers, see study note on Joh 6:53.

I am the resurrection and the life: Jesus’ own death and resurrection opened the way for the dead to return to life. After Jesus was resurrected, Jehovah granted him the power not only to resurrect the dead but also to impart eternal life. (See study note on Joh 5:26.) At Re 1:18, Jesus calls himself “the living one,” who has “the keys of death and of the Grave.” Therefore, Jesus is the hope of the living and the dead. He promised to open up the tombs and give the dead life, either in the heavens as his corulers or on his new earth ruled by his heavenly government.​—Joh 5:28, 29.

will never die at all: When Jesus spoke about not dying, or of living forever, he clearly did not mean that his listeners back then would never experience death. Jesus was making the point that faith in him could lead to everlasting life. That conclusion is supported by what Jesus said earlier, as recorded in John chapter 6, where he connects exercising faith with gaining everlasting life.​—Joh 6:39-44, 54.

tomb: Or “memorial tomb.”​—See Glossary, “Memorial tomb.”

gave way to tears: The word used here (da·kryʹo) is the verb form of the Greek noun for “tears” that is used in such scriptures as Lu 7:38; Ac 20:19, 31; Heb 5:7; Re 7:17; 21:4. The focus seems to be more on the tears shed than on audible weeping. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, this Greek verb is used only here, and it is different from the one used at Joh 11:33 (see study note) to describe the weeping of Mary and the Jews. Jesus knew that he was going to resurrect Lazarus, but it saddened him greatly to see his beloved friends stricken with grief. Moved by deep love and compassion for his friends, he shed tears openly. This account makes it clear that Jesus has fellow feeling for those who lose loved ones to Adamic death.

weeping: Or “crying.” The Greek word for “weeping” often refers to weeping audibly. The same verb is used of Jesus on the occasion when he foretold the coming destruction of Jerusalem.​—Lu 19:41.

groaned . . . and became troubled: The combination of these two original-language words describes Jesus’ very intense emotions on this occasion. The Greek verb rendered “groaned” (em·bri·maʹo·mai) generally denotes strong feeling, but in this context it indicates that Jesus was so deeply moved that he groaned. The Greek for “became troubled” (ta·rasʹso) literally refers to agitation. According to one scholar, in this context it means “to cause one inward commotion; to affect with great pain or sorrow.” The same verb is used at Joh 13:21 to describe Jesus’ reaction to the thought of being betrayed by Judas.​—See study note on Joh 11:35.

within himself: Lit., “in the spirit.” The Greek word pneuʹma is apparently here used in the sense of the impelling force that issues from a person’s figurative heart and causes him to say and do things in a certain way.​—See Glossary, “Spirit.”

gave way to tears: The word used here (da·kryʹo) is the verb form of the Greek noun for “tears” that is used in such scriptures as Lu 7:38; Ac 20:19, 31; Heb 5:7; Re 7:17; 21:4. The focus seems to be more on the tears shed than on audible weeping. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, this Greek verb is used only here, and it is different from the one used at Joh 11:33 (see study note) to describe the weeping of Mary and the Jews. Jesus knew that he was going to resurrect Lazarus, but it saddened him greatly to see his beloved friends stricken with grief. Moved by deep love and compassion for his friends, he shed tears openly. This account makes it clear that Jesus has fellow feeling for those who lose loved ones to Adamic death.

weeping: Or “crying.” The Greek word for “weeping” often refers to weeping audibly. The same verb is used of Jesus on the occasion when he foretold the coming destruction of Jerusalem.​—Lu 19:41.

tomb: Or “memorial tomb.”​—See Glossary, “Memorial tomb.”

by now he must smell: Martha’s comment shows that Jewish custom did not involve an elaborate embalming process designed to preserve the body for a long time. She would not have expected the body to smell if Lazarus had actually been embalmed. Lazarus’ feet and hands were bound with wrappings and “his face was wrapped with a cloth,” but most likely not with the intention of preserving his body from decay.​—Joh 11:44.

it has been four days: Lit., “it is fourth.” The Greek word is simply an ordinal number, with “day” being understood from the context. Apparently three full days plus a portion of a fourth day had passed.

Lazarus: See study note on Lu 16:20.

Lazarus: Probably the Greek form of the Hebrew name Eleazar, meaning “God Has Helped.”

his face was wrapped with a cloth: The Jews had the custom of preparing bodies for burial by binding them with cloths of clean linen along with spices. This, however, was not an embalming process such as practiced by the Egyptians. (Ge 50:3; Mt 27:59; Mr 16:1; Joh 19:39, 40) When Lazarus was resurrected and came out of the tomb, his face was still wrapped with the cloth that had been placed over his head. The Greek word sou·daʹri·on, here rendered “cloth,” refers to a small piece of material used as a towel, napkin, or facecloth. The same Greek word is used at Joh 20:7 about “the cloth that had been on [Jesus’] head.”

our place: That is, our place of worship, or holy place, probably referring to the temple in Jerusalem.​—Compare Ac 6:13, 14.

high priest: When Israel functioned as an independent nation, the high priest held his office for life. (Nu 35:25) However, during the Roman occupation of Israel, the rulers assigned by Rome had authority to appoint and to depose the high priest. (See Glossary, “High priest.”) Caiaphas, appointed by the Romans, was a skillful diplomat who held his office longer than any of his immediate predecessors. He was appointed about 18 C.E. and remained in office until about 36 C.E. By saying that Caiaphas was high priest that year, that is, in 33 C.E., John apparently meant that Caiaphas’ term as high priest included the memorable year in which Jesus was executed.​—See App. B12 for the possible location of Caiaphas’ house.

Ephraim: A city generally considered to be the same as the Ephrain captured by Abijah the king of Judah from Jeroboam the king of Israel. (2Ch 13:19) The site commonly suggested for this city is the village of et-Taiyiba (also spelled et-Taiyibeh), about 6 km (3.5 mi) ENE of Bethel and 3 km (2 mi) ESE of the suggested location of Baal-hazor. (2Sa 13:23) It is located near the wilderness, overlooking the desert plains of Jericho and the Dead Sea to the SE. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Roman General Vespasian conquered Ephraim during his march against Jerusalem.​—The Jewish War, IV, 551 (ix, 9).

the Passover: Apparently referring to the Passover of 32 C.E., the third Passover during Jesus’ earthly ministry.​—See study notes on Joh 2:13; 5:1; 11:55 and App. A7.

a festival of the Jews: Although John does not specify which festival is referred to, there are good reasons to conclude that it is the Passover of 31 C.E. John’s account was generally in chronological order. The context places this festival shortly after Jesus said that there were “yet four months before the harvest.” (Joh 4:35) The harvest season, particularly the barley harvest, got under way about Passover time (Nisan 14). So it seems that Jesus’ statement was made about four months before that, about the month of Chislev (November/December). Two other festivals, the festivals of Dedication and of Purim, fell during the time period from Chislev to Nisan. However, these festivals did not require an Israelite to go up to Jerusalem. So in this context, the Passover seems to be the most likely “festival of the Jews” that required Jesus to attend in Jerusalem according to God’s Law to Israel. (De 16:16) It is true that John records only a few events before the next mention of the Passover (Joh 6:4), but a consideration of the chart in App. A7 shows that John’s account of Jesus’ early ministry was abbreviated, and many events already covered by the other three Gospel writers were not mentioned. In fact, the great amount of activity of Jesus recorded in the other three Gospels lends weight to the conclusion that an annual Passover did indeed come between the events recorded at Joh 2:13 and those at Joh 6:4.​—See App. A7 and study note on Joh 2:13.

the Passover: Jesus started his preaching activity after his baptism in the fall of 29 C.E., so this reference to a Passover early in his ministry must have been to the one celebrated in the spring of 30 C.E. (See study note on Lu 3:1 and App. A7.) A comparison of the four Gospel accounts indicates that four Passovers were celebrated during Jesus’ earthly ministry, leading to the conclusion that his ministry was three and a half years long. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (often called the synoptic Gospels) do not mention any Passover except the final one, at which Jesus died. John’s account specifically mentions three Passovers (Joh 2:13; 6:4; 11:55), and a fourth one is most likely referred to by the expression “a festival of the Jews” at Joh 5:1. This example highlights the value of comparing the Gospel accounts to gain a more complete picture of Jesus’ life.​—See study notes on Joh 5:1; 6:4; 11:55.

the Passover: That is, Passover 33 C.E., apparently the fourth Passover mentioned in the Gospel of John.​—See study notes on Joh 2:13; 5:1; 6:4.