John 11 40

John 11:40 kjv

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:40 nkjv

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

John 11:40 niv

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

John 11:40 esv

Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"

John 11:40 nlt

Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?"

John 11 verses

John 11 40 Meaning

John 11:40 records Jesus' rhetorical question and gentle reminder to Martha, emphasizing that belief is the prerequisite to witnessing God's miraculous power. He had already spoken of His divine authority, and this verse directly connects human faith to the immediate, visible manifestation of God's glory, specifically in the impending resurrection of Lazarus. It highlights that profound spiritual sight and experience are unlocked through trusting in God's capacity to do the impossible, even when circumstances seem utterly hopeless.

John 11 40 Context

John 11:40 is spoken by Jesus to Martha at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. The narrative details Lazarus' sickness, Jesus' intentional delay in arriving, and the sisters' grief mixed with belief and bewilderment. When Jesus instructs them to remove the stone from the tomb, Martha objects, citing the inevitable stench of a body decomposed after four days (v. 39). This statement reveals her limited, albeit human, understanding of the situation and perhaps a temporary lapse in her earlier profound confession of faith in Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world" (v. 27), and her belief that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus' death (v. 21, 32). Jesus' words in verse 40 serve as a powerful reminder of what He had taught her and a direct challenge to her current doubt. It bridges her past declaration of faith and the imminent, tangible manifestation of divine power. Historically, this scene unfolds against the backdrop of Jewish beliefs in the resurrection at the end of days, but not typically a physical resurrection from such an advanced state of decay by a living prophet. Jesus, in confronting Martha's skepticism, underscores His identity as "the resurrection and the life," a present reality, not just a future hope, directly countering prevailing notions about the finality of death and implicitly challenging any Sadducean disbelief in resurrection.

John 11 40 Word analysis

• "Did I not tell you" (οὐκ εἶπόν σοι, ouk eipon soi):

  • Original Language: ouk (οὐκ) is a negative particle for direct, emphatic negation; eipon (εἶπον) is Aorist Indicative of lego, meaning "I said/told"; soi (σοι) is the Dative case of su, meaning "to you" (singular).
  • Significance: This is a rhetorical question in Greek expecting an affirmative answer, "Yes, you did tell me!" It serves as a gentle, yet firm, reminder to Martha of Jesus' prior declarations, possibly referring to their conversation in John 11:25-26 where Jesus asserts, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" It implies a call to remember and act on previously accepted truth.

• "that if you believe" (ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς, ean pisteusēs):

  • Original Language: ean (ἐὰν) means "if, in case that"; pisteusēs (πιστεύσῃς) is Aorist Subjunctive of pisteuo, meaning "you believe, trust, have faith."
  • Significance: This conditional clause establishes faith as the necessary, active, and personal prerequisite. The aorist subjunctive tense here emphasizes the act of believing as a discrete condition that must be met. It is not just an intellectual assent but an active trust and commitment that opens the way for divine action.

• "you will see" (ὄψῃ, opsē):

  • Original Language: opsē (ὄψῃ) is Future Middle Indicative of horao, meaning "you will see, perceive."
  • Significance: This is a direct promise of future experience contingent on the stated condition. It denotes a clear, undeniable visual perception – she will literally see Lazarus alive – but also implies a spiritual recognition of God's hand at work. The "seeing" here is a concrete manifestation of what faith allows one to grasp.

• "the glory of God" (τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, tēn doxan tou Theou):

  • Original Language: tēn doxan (τὴν δόξαν) is the Accusative form of doxa, meaning "glory, splendor, renown, majesty"; tou Theou (τοῦ Θεοῦ) is the Genitive case of Theos, meaning "of God."
  • Significance: Doxa encompasses the visible manifestation of God's character, power, and presence. In this context, it refers specifically to the divine power that transcends natural limits, conquering death. The resurrection of Lazarus would be an irrefutable display of God's unique power and holiness, confirming Jesus' divine authority and His unique relationship with the Father.

Words-group analysis:

• "Did I not tell you that if you believe": This phrase combines a reminder of Jesus' prior teaching with a challenge to exercise active faith now. It confronts Martha's practical doubt, urging her to align her present actions with her previous theological affirmations and Jesus' clear statements about His identity and power over life. It implies Jesus is providing her the final opportunity to engage her faith before the miraculous.

• "if you believe, you will see": This is the core principle and a fundamental Johannine theme. It highlights the precedence of faith over empirical observation when it comes to experiencing divine realities. It directly reverses the natural human inclination to "see in order to believe," instead demanding "believe in order to see." Faith becomes the lens through which God's powerful work is perceived and made real.

• "you will see the glory of God": The ultimate object of this sight is not merely a returned Lazarus, but the profound display of God's majesty and omnipotence through the event. It elevates the resurrection from a mere physical miracle to a powerful revelation of who God is and the unique way He works through His Son, Jesus, who declared, "I am the resurrection and the life." The resurrection is the visible vehicle for manifesting invisible divine doxa.

John 11 40 Bonus section

• This verse echoes a consistent theme in John's Gospel where seeing signs leads to belief, but also where belief precedes a deeper, spiritual seeing (e.g., John 20:29). For Martha, it was a transition from an intellectual belief in future resurrection to an experiential faith in Jesus as the present Resurrection.
• The Greek term doxa (glory) is often used to describe a theophany – a visible manifestation of God's presence, reminiscent of the glory cloud in the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple, or Moses' encounter on Sinai. Here, the "glory of God" is demonstrated in the person and power of Jesus Christ, making His identity undeniable.
• The instruction to "remove the stone" (John 11:39) despite Martha's protest, and Jesus' subsequent reminder, highlights the human element in cooperating with divine action. Even when the miracle is entirely God's work, a step of obedience or faith is often required on our part to "see" it unfold. Martha's hesitation needed to be overcome for God's glory to be fully revealed.

John 11 40 Commentary

John 11:40 captures a pivotal moment of tension between human understanding and divine power. Jesus confronts Martha's immediate, practical objection to removing the stone, challenging her to move beyond the grim reality of death to the limitless possibility of faith. His words serve as a condensed gospel message: genuine belief is the crucial condition for experiencing the manifest glory of God. This glory is not some abstract concept, but a tangible display of God's power to reverse the irreversible, proving that Jesus is indeed Lord over life and death. It's a call to trust that even in seemingly hopeless situations, God's plan unfolds for His glory, and our participation in witnessing that glory is predicated on our unwavering faith. The raising of Lazarus is thus not just a sign of Jesus' power but a powerful object lesson that teaches the profound connection between faith and seeing God's supernatural intervention.