But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”
- KJV And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
- BSB But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?”
- NKJV And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
- NASB But some of them said, “Could this Man, who opened the eyes of the man who was blind, not have also kept this man from dying?”
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
Some wonder why the one who healed the blind could not have prevented Lazarus' death. Their question mixes faith with doubt.
Overview
Recalling the healing of the man born blind, some bystanders question Jesus' apparent inaction. Their words contain a measure of faith in his power but also an implicit reproach. The verse heightens the tension, for Jesus is about to do something far greater than prevent death, namely reverse it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 9:6–7When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,
- Luke 23:39One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”
- Luke 23:35The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”
- Ps 78:19–20Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
- Matt 27:40–42and saying, “You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
- John 11:32Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
- John 11:21Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.
- Mark 15:32Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
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 11:37 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.