At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.
- KJV Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
- NKJV Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
- NASB Now a certain man was sick: Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
- NLT A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.
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
A man named Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Mary and Martha, falls sick. This introduces the setting for the raising of Lazarus.
Overview
John names the family at Bethany, near Jerusalem, who were dear friends of Jesus. The sickness of Lazarus sets in motion the greatest of Jesus' signs in this Gospel. The personal detail prepares us for a scene of deep love, grief, and resurrection power.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- John 12:17Meanwhile, many people continued to testify that they had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead.
- Luke 10:38–42As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
- 2 Kgs 20:1–12In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
- John 11:11After He had said this, He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.”
- John 12:9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there. And they came not only because of Him, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
- Matt 21:17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.
- John 11:5–6Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
- Acts 9:37At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room.
- Mark 11:1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two of His disciples
- John 11:3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
- Luke 16:20–25And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores
- John 12:1–2Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
- Gen 48:1Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
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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 11:1 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
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