Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
Parallel translations
- KJV Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
- BSB Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away,
- NKJV Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
- NASB Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away;
- NLT Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John notes that Bethany was about fifteen stadia, roughly two miles, from Jerusalem. The nearness explains the presence of many mourners.
Overview
This geographical detail accounts for the crowd of Jews who came to console the sisters. Its closeness to Jerusalem also means the miracle would be widely known and would provoke the authorities. The precise note reflects the eyewitness character of the account.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 24:13Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.
- John 11:1Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.
- Rev 14:20The wine press was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.
- John 6:19When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.
- Rev 21:16The city is square, and its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 11:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.