John 11 42

John 11:42 kjv

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 11:42 nkjv

And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."

John 11:42 niv

I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

John 11:42 esv

I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."

John 11:42 nlt

You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me."

John 11 verses

John 11 42 Meaning

Jesus affirms God's will and purpose is answered by his actions, leading to believers' faith.

John 11 42 Context

This verse is spoken by Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. He has just raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been deceased for four days. The crowd present witnessed this miraculous event. Jesus' statement here is a public declaration of His intimate relationship with the Father and the divine purpose behind His actions, specifically the raising of Lazarus, which was to glorify God and strengthen the faith of those who saw it. It connects the act of resurrection to God's overarching plan.

John 11 42 Word Analysis

• "And" (καὶ, kai): A common conjunction connecting phrases and clauses. Here, it links the previous statement to the purpose behind it.
• "I know" (οἶδα, oida): Perfect tense, indicating a continuous state of knowledge. Jesus possesses an intimate, intrinsic understanding.
• "that" (ὅτι, hoti): A conjunction introducing a subordinate clause stating the content of his knowledge.
• "you always" (πάντοτε, pantote): An adverb signifying always, consistently. Reflects the unwavering relationship.
• "hear" (ἀκούεις, akoueis): Present active indicative of ἀκούω (akouō), meaning to hear, listen, give heed. It implies active attention and responsiveness.
• "me": The object of God's hearing. Jesus knows God always listens to Him.
• "But" (ἀλλά, alla): A adversative conjunction, introducing a contrast or qualification. It distinguishes His understanding from the potential misunderstanding of others or highlights a deeper truth.
• "I said this" (εἶπον, eipon): Aorist tense of λέγω (legō), meaning I spoke, I said. Refers to His preceding prayer.
• "for" (ἵνα, hina): A conjunction introducing purpose. It explains why Jesus uttered the preceding words of prayer.
• "the sake" (τῆς, tēs, genitive feminine singular definite article + ἕνεκα, heneka, postposition): "on account of," "for the purpose of."
• "crowd" (ὄχλου, ochlou, genitive singular of ὄχλος, ochlos): A multitude, crowd, assembly. The group of people who witnessed the event.
• "standing" (ἑστηκότος, hestēkotos, genitive singular masculine perfect participle of ἵστημι, histēmi): Standing, to stand. Refers to their physical posture.
• "around" (περί, peri, preposition + accusative): Around, about. Indicates their proximity to Jesus.
• "that" (ἵνα, hina): Another conjunction introducing purpose.
• "they" (αὐτοὶ, autoi): Pronoun referring back to the crowd.
• "may believe" (πιστεύσωσιν, pisteusōsin, aorist subjunctive active, 3rd person plural of πιστεύω, pisteuō): To believe, have faith. The intended effect on the crowd.
• "that" (ὅτι, hoti): Conjunction introducing a subordinate clause, indicating the content of their belief.
• "you": Refers to God the Father.
• "sent" (ἀπέστειλάς, apesteilas, aorist active participle of ἀποστέλλω, apostellō): You sent, you dispatched. Affirms Jesus' divine commission.
• "me": Jesus Himself, as the one sent.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "I know that you always hear me": Expresses the absolute certainty of Jesus' divine awareness of the Father's perpetual attentiveness to Him. This reflects their unique intimacy and unity.
• "But I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around that they may believe that you sent me": This is a statement of purposeful communication. Jesus’ prayer was not a plea born of doubt but a declaration intended to publicly authenticate His mission from the Father for the benefit of the witnesses. The resurrection was to be evidence leading to faith in His divine origin.

John 11 42 Bonus Section

The Greek word translated as "believe" (πιστεύσωσιν, pisteusōsin) is in the aorist subjunctive. This tense indicates a decisive, completed action of believing. The purpose is not a gradual process but a definite turn towards faith based on the evidence provided. This underscores the powerful, persuasive nature of the miracle itself as a catalyst for belief. It mirrors the purpose of the miraculous signs throughout the Gospel of John, which are given to reveal Jesus’ identity and prompt faith (John 20:30-31).

John 11 42 Commentary

Jesus, in uttering His prayer before raising Lazarus, made a deliberate public statement. This was not a private moment of pleading but a carefully orchestrated act designed for the onlookers. His words, "I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around, that they may believe that you sent me," reveal a profound truth about His ministry. Firstly, it emphasizes the unbroken, intimate fellowship between Jesus and the Father; there is no doubt about their connection. Secondly, it highlights the evangelistic purpose of miracles. The resurrection of Lazarus was a divine sign meant to confirm Jesus' identity and authority as the one sent by God, thus calling the witnesses to faith in Him. It demonstrates that Jesus' works were always aligned with and performed to bring glory to the Father.