When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house.
- KJV Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
- BSB So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him; but Mary stayed at home.
- NKJV Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
- NASB So then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed in the house.
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
Hearing Jesus is coming, Martha goes to meet Him while Mary stays at home. The sisters respond differently to the news.
Overview
Martha's active going out and Mary's remaining within fit the temperaments seen elsewhere in the Gospels. Martha's initiative leads to the profound exchange that follows. The detail draws us into the personal, human texture of the scene.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Th 4:17then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.
- Luke 10:38–42As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
- Matt 25:1“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.
- John 11:30Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.
- Matt 25:6But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’
- Acts 10:25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.
- Acts 28:15From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God, and took courage.
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 11:20 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.