John 11:19

11:17-32 Here was a house where the fear of God was, and on which his blessing rested; yet it was made a house of mourning. Grace will keep sorrow from the heart, but not from the house. When God, by his grace and providence, is coming towards us in ways of mercy and comfort, we should, like Martha, go forth by faith, hope, and prayer, to meet him. When Martha went to meet Jesus, Mary sat still in the house; this temper formerly had been an advantage to her, when it put her at Christ's feet to hear his word; but in the day of affliction, the same temper disposed her to melancholy. It is our wisdom to watch against the temptations, and to make use of the advantages of our natural tempers. When we know not what in particular to ask or expect, let us refer ourselves to God; let him do as seemeth him good. To enlarge Martha's expectations, our Lord declared himself to be the Resurrection and the Life. In every sense he is the Resurrection; the source, the substance, the first-fruits, the cause of it. The redeemed soul lives after death in happiness; and after the resurrection, both body and soul are kept from all evil for ever. When we have read or heard the word of Christ, about the great things of the other world, we should put it to ourselves, Do we believe this truth? The crosses and comforts of this present time would not make such a deep impression upon us as they do, if we believed the things of eternity as we ought. When Christ our Master comes, he calls for us.

Many of the Jews came Rev., rightly, had come. The tense is the pluperfect. Lazarus' friendship with Jesus had not caused him to be regarded as an apostate, at whose burial every indignity would have been shown. People were even to array themselves in white, festive garments in demonstration of joy. Here, on the contrary, every token of sympathy and respect seems to have been shown. To Martha and Mary (πρὸς τὰς περὶ Μάρθαν καὶ Μαρίαν). Literally, to those about Martha and Mary; a Greek idiom for Martha and Mary and their companions, or attendants. Compare οἱ περὶ Παῦλον, Paul and his companions (Acts 13:13). Somewhat analogous is our familiar idiom when we speak of going to visit a household: I am going to Smith's or Brown's, by which we include the head of the household with its members. Westcott and Hort and Tregelles, however, read πρὸς τὴν Μάρθαν κ. Μ., to Martha and Mary. So also the Revisers' text.

Not to pray with them for the soul of their brother departed. That departed souls are in a capacity to be advantaged by the prayers of their friends, or any such thing, are corruptions of latter times; but they had a civil usage of mourning for their friends, the time for which was anciently thirty days. They mourned for Jacob forty days, Genesis 50:3 ; for Aaron thirty days, Numbers 20:29 ; so for Moses, Deu 34:8 . It is probable the days were fewer for persons of an inferior quality, but they had some days for all; during which days their neighbours and friends came to visit them, and relieve them in their sorrow, with such arguments as they had.

19 . many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary ] Better, many from among the Jews had come , &c. The received text with some good authorities has ‘had come to Martha and Mary and their friends,’ but this is not the best-attested reading. ‘The Jews’ here, as usual, means Christ’s opponents; they would come mostly, if not entirely, from Jerusalem. to comfort them ] It was part of the Jewish ceremonial of mourning that many (ten at least) should come and condole. Genesis 27:35 ; comp. 2 Samuel 12:17 ; Job 2:11 . It is said that the usual period of mourning was thirty days; three of weeping, seven of lamentation, twenty of sorrow. But the instances in Scripture vary: Jacob, seventy days with an additional seven ( Genesis 50:3 ; Genesis 50:10 ); Aaron and Moses, thirty days ( Numbers 20:29 ; Deuteronomy 34:8 ); Saul and Judith, seven days ( 1 Samuel 28:13 ; Jdg 16:24 ; comp. Sir 22:12 ; 2Es 5:20 ). Josephus tells us that Archelaus mourned for his father seven days, and the Jews for himself, thirty days ( B. J . ii. i. 1; iii. ix. 5). The Mishna prescribes seven days for near relations.

John 11:19 . [295] ΠΟΛΛΟΊ ) many , on account of being in their neighbourhood.— τὰς περί ) An idiomatic phrase. Acts 13:13 [ ΟἹ ΠΕΡῚ ΠΑῦΛΟΝ , Paul and his company ], Acts 28:7 [296]— ἵνα παραμυθήσωνται , that they might be comforted ) some days after the burial. In the present day we say, to condole with . [295] John 11:17 . τέσσαρας ἡμέρας , four days ) Therefore Lazarus was buried on the very day of his death. Comp. ver. 39, “Lord, by this time he stinketh; for he hath been dead four days.”. V. g. [296] ἐν τοῖς περὶ τὸν τόπον , in the same quarters. So here translate, Martha, Mary and her friends . A and Rec. Text read τὰς περὶ M. But BCLX abc Vulg. read πρὸς τὴν M. D reads πρὸς M., omitting τήν .—E. and T. John 11:19

(19) And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary. —Better, and many of the Jews had come . . .— They had come before our Lord’s arrival. The word “Jews” is to be understood in St. John’s general sense (comp. Note on John 1:19 ) of those opposed to our Lord, who had lately sought to stone Him ( John 10:31 ), and afterwards to take Him by force ( John 10:39 ). The family at Bethany was one of position and substance (comp. Notes on Matthew 26:6-13 ; Mark 14:3-9 ), and they would naturally have had many friends among the higher rank of the Jews. Another reading, which has considerable authority, is “had come to the women with Martha and Mary,” or “to Martha and Mary and their friends.” To comfort them concerning their brother.—The days of mourning were usually thirty, which were divided into (1) three days of weeping; (2) seven days of lamentation; (3) twenty days of sorrow. This fourth day after the death was the first of the seven days of lamentation. Lightfoot has collected, in a long note on this text, quotations from the Rabbis illustrating the mourning customs, and giving examples of the words used.

John 11:19 . ʼΕκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ] is generally taken as equivalent to Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν , but altogether without ground. Wherever John uses the term “ the Jews ,” unless it be in the purely national sense (as in John 2:6 , John 2:13 , John 3:1 , John 4:9 , and frequently), to distinguish them as a nation from other nations, he constantly means the Jewish opposition to Jesus. See on John 1:19 . So also here (compare Brückner, Gumlich, Godet). On them, however, the miracle produced the noteworthy deep impression which will be recorded in John 11:45-46 . The Lazarus family, which, without doubt, was a highly respected one, must—and might it not have been so, notwithstanding its friendship with Jesus?—have had many acquaintances, perhaps also relatives, among these Jews. πρὸς τὰς περὶ Μ . κ . Μ .] is not quite identical in force with πρὸς τὴν Μ . κ . Μ . (so Lachmann after B. C. L. X. א .), but describes the two sisters with their surroundings (Bernhardy, p. 263; Kühner, ad Xen. Mem. ii. 4. 2; comp. Acts 13:13 ). The words might also denote the sisters alone, according to later Greek usage (see Valckenaer, Schol. ad Acts 13:13 ; Lehrs, Quaest. Ep. p. 28 ff.); this usage, however, is quite foreign to the New Testament, besides that, in the present connection, the expression employed has its special propriety, they being men who had come.

It implies, moreover, that the household was one of a higher class. ἵνα παραμ . αὐτ .] The expression of sympathy and consolation, which was connected with definite formalities, lasted usually seven days ( 1 Samuel 31:13 ; 1 Chronicles 10:12 ; Jdt 16:23 ). See Lightfoot, p. 1070 ff.