John 11

from
The translation “from” is better than “of” because it conveys the more specific Greek preposition ἀπὸ (apo). This makes it explicit that Lazarus is distinctly from this village as his hometown, and not somehow generally associated with the place. Identifying this as Lazarus’ hometown is meant to differentiate it from “the place where [Jesus] was” (v. 6), to intensify the fact that Jesus was not there to heal him, building suspense in the narrative.

two days
Many translations have “two more days” or “two days longer.” However, the Greek construction is simply “two days” (δύο ἡμέρας; duo hēmeras). Thus, this translation stays close to the Greek text while the tension built by Jesus’ delay to travel to Lazarus remains.

these things
The translation “these things” carries over the plural ταῦτα (tauta) from the Greek. The plural refers back to the multiple sentences Jesus said in verses 9–10. John sometimes uses such a phrase either as a transition to provide the rationale for what Jesus is about to do (e.g., 7:9), or as a summation to explain the result of Jesus’ teaching or actions (e.g., 8:30). Here, it is the former, as John calls for a brief pause to consider Jesus’ statements before continuing. These statements are important and foundational for understanding what Jesus is about to do. In verses 9–10, Jesus assures His disciples that He Himself will not be killed when He goes into Judea again (He is secure in His Father’s sovereignty as He works “in the day”). Instead, He is going to display His identity as the resurrection and the life (v. 25) by raising a dead man to life. Thus, by teaching the things in verses 9–10, Jesus demonstrates that His decision to go into Judea again is not random or rash, but logical, wise, and according to the Father’s will.

their
The word “their” translates the Greek article before “brother” (τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ; tou adelphou; lit. “the brother”), which functions as a possessive pronoun here. Thus, the clearest rendering of the meaning in English is “their brother.” John likely uses the article rather than an actual possessive pronoun in order to emphasize the prominence of Lazarus and his family as well-known among the Jews. He is thus specifically pointed out as “the brother” who is known by many of the Jews.

from
The English preposition “from” rather than “of” is used here for a more natural reading in English and because Martha uses the verb “ask” in a transitive sense (i.e., she speaks of asking for something, which must come “from” God).

never die–ever
The Greek text uses both the strongest negative (οὐ μὴ; ou me) and a temporal description that could be translated “until forever” (εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; eis ton aiona). The translation of “never die—ever” captures both the intensity of the Greek strong negative and succinctly captures the ultimate negation of never ever dying, indicating the complete possibility for one to “die.”

the One who comes
The phrase, “the One who comes” translates the Greek phrase ὁ…ἐρχόμενος (ho…erchomenos). In the Greek of this verse, Jesus’ identity is wrapped up closely with His coming into the world. The language quite literally describes “the into-the-world-coming-One” (ὁ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐρχόμενος; ho eis ton kosmon erchomenos). Though this word order cannot be carried easily into English, the emphasis is brought out by identifying Jesus as “the One who comes.” With this confession, Martha expresses a great truth that John has been keen to emphasize throughout his gospel—that Jesus is God who came into the world in the flesh to dwell with His people (cf. 1:1–14).

cry
The word “cry” translates the Greek word κλαίω (klaiō). While this word could also legitimately be translated as “weep,” the translation “cry” maintains the distinction between this and the stronger word for “weep” (δακρύω; dakryō) used in verse 35. Keeping this distinction heightens the impact of verse 35, rightly emphasizing the deep emotion of Jesus because of the realities of unbelief, sin, and death.

crying
Refer to the discussion on verse 31 above.

he smells
While some translations have something like “there will be a stench” or “there will be an odor,” the Greek construction here is actually a verb (ὄζω; ozō) with Lazarus as the subject. Thus, the classic KJV rendering “he stinketh” is accurate, but “he smells” provides a modern reading. The emphasis is that Lazarus’ very body was emitting the smell, having been buried four days, and this was incontrovertible evidence that he was truly dead. This bit of information serves to prove the reality of Jesus’ resurrection power. There is no other explanation for Lazarus’ miraculous emergence from the tomb.

Sanhedrin
The word “Sanhedrin” here represents the Greek term συνέδριον (synedrion), which most English versions translate as “council” or “court.” While this accurately describes what the Sanhedrin was, it was more specific in the Jewish mind. It referred not just to any court, but the supreme court of the Jews in Jerusalem, before which the most serious cases would be decided.

better
The word translated “better” here is συμφέρω (sympherō), which usually carries the idea of being “profitable,” “beneficial,” or “useful.” However, when followed by the construction καὶ μὴ (kai mē; ‘”and not”) as it is here, the sense is that one thing is “better than” another. Caiaphas is weighing options and proposing that it is obviously better to kill Jesus so that the religious leaders would not lose their positions to the Romans (cf. v. 48).

from Himself
The phrase “from Himself” literally translates the Greek construction ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ (ap’ heautou). While many translations render the phrase differently (e.g., “of Himself,” “on his own initiative”), the preposition ἀπό (apo) is regularly translated as “from.” Furthermore, the reflexive pronoun ἐαυτοῦ (heautou) is translated in its literal sense, “Himself.” Jesus does nothing from Himself, but only what the Father directs (5:19). Believers, like branches, do not bear fruit from themselves, but God produces it in their lives through their connection with Christ (15:4). Even the Holy Spirit speaks not from Himself, but from what He hears of the Father (16:13). Neither, then, is this unintentional prophecy outside of the Father’s sovereign control. God has intentionally drawn it from the mouth of the high priest to continue to emphasize His own sovereign working regarding Jesus’ death and resurrection for the salvation of sinners.

from
The preposition “from” translates the Greek word ἐκ (ek) here, which usually has the meaning of “from,” “out of,” or “away from.” The translation “from” provides the clearest and most natural communication of what this verse describes, as people are generally spoken of as going “from” and not “out of” one place to another.