John 11:23 kjv
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
John 11:23 nkjv
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
John 11:23 niv
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
John 11:23 esv
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
John 11:23 nlt
Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again."
John 11 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 19:26 | ...even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God. | OT hope for future bodily resurrection. |
| Isa 26:19 | Your dead shall live; their corpses shall rise. | OT prophecy of resurrection. |
| Dan 12:2 | Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake... | OT vision of general resurrection. |
| Pss 16:10 | For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see decay. | Hope in divine preservation beyond death. |
| Mk 5:41-42 | ...Jesus took the child by the hand...the girl got up immediately. | Jesus raises Jairus's daughter. |
| Lk 7:14-15 | ...He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" And the dead man sat up... | Jesus raises the widow of Nain's son. |
| Lk 8:54-55 | He took her by the hand and called out, "Child, arise!" Her spirit returned. | Jesus raises Jairus's daughter. |
| Jn 5:28-29 | Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out. | Jesus' power over general resurrection. |
| Jn 6:39-40 | And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I lose nothing...but raise it up on the last day. | Jesus promises resurrection for believers. |
| Jn 6:44 | No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. | Resurrection is a divine work through Jesus. |
| Jn 6:54 | Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. | Partaking in Christ ensures future resurrection. |
| Jn 11:25 | Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life..." | Jesus defines Himself as the source of resurrection. |
| Rom 8:11 | If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He...will also give life to your mortal bodies. | Holy Spirit guarantees future resurrection. |
| 1 Cor 15:20-22 | But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits...in Christ all will be made alive. | Christ's resurrection as the guarantee for all. |
| 1 Cor 15:42-44 | So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown perishable...raised imperishable. | Description of the resurrected body. |
| 1 Thes 4:14 | ...God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. | Future resurrection of believers at Christ's return. |
| Phil 3:21 | ...who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body... | Believer's future transformed body. |
| Heb 11:19 | He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead... | Abraham's faith in God's power over death. |
| Jn 11:4 | ...this illness does not lead to death. It is for God's glory... | The purpose of Lazarus's death for God's glory. |
| Jn 11:40 | Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? | Connects belief with witnessing God's glory in resurrection. |
| Act 24:15 | ...there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. | Universal scope of resurrection. |
John 11 verses
John 11 23 Meaning
Jesus directly assured Martha, who was mourning her brother Lazarus, that he would indeed rise again. This statement affirmed the widely held Jewish hope in the general resurrection of the dead at the Last Day, a belief Martha herself articulated. However, it simultaneously hinted at an immediate, astonishing manifestation of Jesus' power over death, foreshadowing Lazarus's resuscitation and revealing Jesus as the present and active source of resurrection life.
John 11 23 Context
John 11 presents a crucial narrative of Jesus' identity and power, leading up to His ultimate sacrifice. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, is critically ill. Despite being called, Jesus deliberately delays His arrival until Lazarus has been dead for four days, ensuring no one could dispute the reality of his death. This verse occurs during Jesus' initial conversation with Martha upon His arrival in Bethany. Martha expresses her grief and faith in Jesus' power ("If you had been here, my brother would not have died") and then states her belief in the general resurrection ("I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day"). Jesus' response in verse 23 directly addresses her statement, but in a way that shifts the focus from a distant eschatological event to an imminent display of divine power and His own unique identity. The historical Jewish context includes varied beliefs about resurrection; while Pharisees generally affirmed it, Sadducees denied it. Martha represents the mainstream hope for a future resurrection.
John 11 23 Word analysis
- Jesus (Ἰησοῦς - Iēsous): Identifies the divine Son of God, the Messiah, who possesses authority over life and death. His unique identity gives weight to His declaration.
- said (εἶπεν - eipen): Indicates a direct and authoritative statement. It's a verbal action conveying a promise and a revelation.
- to her (αὐτῇ - autē): Emphasizes the personal nature of the conversation. Jesus directly addresses Martha's specific grief and her understanding of resurrection.
- Your brother (Ὁ ἀδελφός σου - Ho adelphos sou): Personalizes the promise, addressing Martha's immediate and deep sorrow over her deceased sibling. It ensures the specificity of the promise to Lazarus.
- will rise again (ἀναστήσεται - anastēsetai): A future tense verb meaning "will stand up again," "will be raised." This word signifies physical reanimation. For Martha, it affirmed her belief in a general, future resurrection on the "last day." For Jesus, it referred to Lazarus's imminent reanimation in addition to the eschatological hope, demonstrating His present power as the source of resurrection.
- Jesus said to her: Establishes the divine speaker's authority and personal engagement with Martha's pain and faith. This is not a casual remark but a profound declaration from the Son of God.
- Your brother will rise again: This concise promise bridges Martha's theological belief about a future resurrection with Jesus' present ability to enact that resurrection. It is simultaneously an affirmation of future hope and a foreshadowing of immediate action.
John 11 23 Bonus section
- Dual Meaning: The promise "will rise again" functions with a dual meaning. On one hand, it validates Martha's faith in the eschatological resurrection. On the other hand, it implicitly refers to the specific, imminent reanimation of Lazarus by Jesus, demonstrating His authority over death now.
- Contrast to Martha's Timing: Martha's "last day" belief represents a conventional understanding of divine intervention in resurrection. Jesus' statement, immediately followed by His declaration in verse 25 ("I am the resurrection and the life"), pivots this understanding from a distant historical event to a present, active, personal reality in Himself.
- Pre-Lazarus Raising: This verse serves as the immediate precursor to one of Jesus' most significant public miracles, laying the theological groundwork for understanding its profound implications regarding His divine identity and power over death.
John 11 23 Commentary
In John 11:23, Jesus engages with Martha's sorrow and theological understanding, affirming her hope in the general resurrection while subtly pointing to an immediate, profound truth. Martha correctly asserts her belief in resurrection "on the last day," a standard Jewish tenet. Jesus' simple, direct response, "Your brother will rise again," confirms her hope but transcends her timeline. It hints that the power for resurrection is not solely confined to a distant future event but is embodied in Him, standing right before her. This statement prepares Martha (and the reader) for the spectacular miracle of Lazarus's raising from the dead, illustrating Jesus as "the resurrection and the life" (Jn 11:25) not just prospectively, but actively and presently. It provides comfort for grief and redirects focus from "when" to "Who."