God’s Word Translation
John 11:3
3So the sisters sent a messenger to tell Jesus, “Lord, your close friend is sick.”
John 11:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
- New International Version (NIV)So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
Context of John 11:3
1Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived, was sick. 2(Mary was the woman who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was the one who was sick.) So the sisters sent a messenger to tell Jesus, “Lord, your close friend is sick.” 4When Jesus heard the message, he said, “His sickness won’t result in death. Instead, this sickness will bring glory to God so that the Son of God will receive glory through it.” 5Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.
Read all of John 11John 11:3 word by word
ἀπέστειλαν οὖν αἱ ἀδελφαὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγουσαι· κύριε, ἴδε ὃν φιλεῖς ἀσθενεῖ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- his sistersὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- his sistersἀδελφήadelphē · sisterG79
- sentἀποστέλλωapostellō · to sendG649
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
- beholdὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- he whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- thou lovestφιλέωphileō · to loveG5368
- is sickἀσθενέωastheneō · be weak: illG770
Cross-references for John 11:3
- John 11:1Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived, was sick.
- John 13:23One disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, was near him at the table.
- Genesis 22:2God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.”
- Psalms 16:3Those who lead holy lives on earth are the noble ones who fill me with joy.
- Philippians 2:26He has been longing to see all of you and is troubled because you heard that he was sick.
- 2 Timothy 4:20Erastus stayed in the city of Corinth and I left Trophimus in the city of Miletus because he was sick.
- Hebrews 12:6The Lord disciplines everyone he loves. He severely disciplines everyone he accepts as his child.”
- James 5:14If you are sick, call for the church leaders. Have them pray for you and anoint you with olive oil in the name of the Lord.
- Revelation 3:19I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act.
Commentaries on John 11:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He whom thou lovest is sick - Nothing could be more simple, nor more modest, than this prayer: they do not say, Come and heal him: or, Command the disease to depart even where thou art, and it will obey thee: - they content themselves with simply stating the case, and using an indirect but a most forcible argument, to induce our Lord to show forth his power and goodness: - He is sick, and thou lovest him; therefore thou canst neither abandon him, not us.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Whom thou lovest - John 11:5. The members of this family were among the few special and intimate friends of our Lord. He was much with them, and showed them marks of special friendship Luke 10:38-42, and they bestowed upon him special proofs of affection in return. This shows that special attachments are lawful for Christians, and that those friendships are especially lovely which are tempered and sweetened with the spirit of Christ. Friendships should…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The two sisters had a difficult choice to make. They knew Jesus was able to heal, but they also realized that his return to Judea would involve personal risk (11:8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-53-5. his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick--a most womanly appeal, yet how reverential, to the known affection of her Lord for the patient. (See Joh 11:5, 11). "Those whom Christ loves are no more exempt than others from their share of earthly trouble and anguish: rather are they bound over to it more surely" [Trench].Read the comment
Topics related to John 11:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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