John 11 39

John 11:39 kjv

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

John 11:39 nkjv

Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

John 11:39 niv

"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

John 11:39 esv

Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."

John 11:39 nlt

"Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible."

John 11 verses

John 11 39 Meaning

Jesus commands the removal of the stone sealing Lazarus' tomb, a direct challenge to the apparent finality of death. Martha, acknowledging Jesus as Lord, voices a practical and understandable human concern: after four days, decay would have fully set in, resulting in an undeniable stench, signifying a state of irreversible physical corruption beyond hope. This interaction sets the scene for a profound demonstration of divine power over the most extreme form of death, contrasting human realism with God's ultimate authority over life.

John 11 39 Context

John 11 presents the pinnacle of Jesus' public miracles – the raising of Lazarus. This event takes place in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, and is central to escalating the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities, ultimately leading to His crucifixion. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus deliberately delayed His arrival, knowing Lazarus would die, intending to perform a greater sign. Upon arrival, He comforts Mary and Martha, leading to Martha's confession of faith (Jn 11:27). The crowd, including many Jews who had come to mourn, witnesses Jesus' deep emotion, culminating in His weeping. The verse 39 immediately precedes Jesus' prayer and the miraculous call for Lazarus to come out, forming the dramatic tension point before the climax. The cultural belief, particularly among Jews, held that the soul lingered around the body for three days, after which it departed and physical decay confirmed irreversible death. Lazarus being "four days dead" emphasized the human impossibility of his revival, making Jesus' forthcoming miracle even more astonishing and irrefutable as an act of divine power.

John 11 39 Word analysis

• Jesus said: Implies divine authority and a declarative statement, initiating action and challenging the natural order. His words are commands with inherent power.
• "Take away" (Greek: arate - ἀρατε): An imperative verb, "lift up," "remove," "take off." It's a direct command requiring human participation. It implies clearing an obstacle.
• "the stone": The physical barrier sealing the tomb. Symbolizes human finality, despair, and the impenetrable boundary of death from a human perspective. It's a weight, literally and figuratively.
• "Martha": Lazarus' sister, representing a human perspective that blends initial faith with pragmatic doubt. She is known for her service (Lk 10:40) and initial declaration of faith (Jn 11:27), yet struggles with the immediate, sensory reality of death.
• "the sister of the dead man": Identifies her relation and connection to the tragedy, adding pathos and emphasizing her firsthand experience of death's reality.
• "said to him": Her direct address, a response to Jesus' command.
• "Lord": Martha addresses Jesus respectfully, indicating her acknowledgment of His spiritual authority, despite her immediate physical concern.
• "by this time" (Greek: ēdē - ἤδη, combined with context of time): Implies immediacy and a foregone conclusion; the process of decay is already underway and significantly advanced.
• "there will be a stench" (Greek: ozei - ὄζει): A vivid and undeniable physical manifestation of decay. It indicates severe decomposition, signaling irreversible death. It's a strong sensory detail that highlights the grotesque reality of physical corruption.
• "for he has been dead four days" (Greek: tetartaios gar estin - τεταρταῖος γὰρ ἐστιν): This detail is crucial. "Four days" confirms the absolute finality of Lazarus' death in the cultural context. It refutes any possibility of suspended animation or a mere swoon, removing any doubt about the genuine nature of the upcoming miracle. In Jewish tradition, the soul was believed to depart the body completely by the fourth day, signifying undeniable death and putrefaction, making a resurrection considered impossible.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”": A declaration of divine intent, immediately confronting the physical barrier to life. It also requires human collaboration, a choice to obey a command that defies reason.
• "Martha... said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench,"": This encapsulates Martha's human realism, expressing the profound horror and undeniable evidence of decomposition. Her statement represents the common sense that natural processes are irreversible.
• "for he has been dead four days.": This phrase provides the conclusive rationale for Martha's objection, stressing the cultural and biological finality of Lazarus' death. It underscores the "impossible" nature of the impending miracle from a human perspective, thus maximizing the glory of God that would soon be revealed.

John 11 39 Bonus section

The specific detail of "four days" carries immense theological and cultural weight within John's narrative. Jewish tradition, while not explicitly biblical, often spoke of the soul hovering around the body for up to three days, after which hope of resuscitation was utterly abandoned once decomposition set in. By choosing to raise Lazarus after the definitive four-day mark, Jesus intentionally goes beyond the possibility of a "near-death" recovery, asserting his mastery not just over a state of dying, but over actual, undisputed, irreversible death and the physical process of corruption itself. This miracle therefore served as an irrefutable sign that Jesus truly embodied "the resurrection and the life," with authority extending even to the point where all natural processes confirmed death's ultimate dominion.

John 11 39 Commentary

John 11:39 forms a dramatic turning point, juxtaposing Jesus' authoritative command against Martha's practical, almost visceral, human objection. Jesus’ command to "Take away the stone" isn't merely an instruction for physical removal; it's a symbolic demand to remove the barrier of human doubt and perceived impossibility. The stone represents the sealed tomb, the finality of death, and the limits of human understanding and faith when faced with natural processes. Martha's response, highlighting the "stench" after "four days," powerfully articulates the prevailing human and cultural understanding of death. In her mind, and within Jewish understanding, decomposition over four days meant irrefutable death; any hope of resuscitation was long gone. This serves a critical narrative purpose: by presenting such a stark, undeniable reality of death, John amplifies the subsequent miracle, demonstrating Jesus’ absolute, undisputed power over physical corruption and life itself. It shows that Jesus works even when all human hope and logical reasoning point to the impossibility of intervention. The episode encourages believers to remove their own "stones" of doubt and trust in Jesus' power, even in the most desperate and seemingly irreversible situations.