John 11:21

John 11:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

Context of John 11:21

19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

John 11:21 word by word

εἶπεν οὖν ἡ Μάρθα πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν· κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀδελφός μου.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Marthaὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• MarthaΜάρθαMartha · MarthaG3136
• untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• thou hadst beenεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• hereὧδεhōde · hereG5602
• myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• brotherἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• hadθνῄσκωthnēskō · to die/be deadG2348
• notοὐou · noG3756
• ·ἄνan · ifG302

Cross-references for John 11:21

• John 11:32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
• John 4:47When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
• 1 Kings 17:18She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
• Psalms 78:19They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?
• Matthew 9:18While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”
• Luke 7:6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
• Luke 8:49While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

Commentaries on John 11:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died - Mary said the same words to him a little after, John 11:32, which proves that these sisters had not a complete knowledge of the omnipotence of Christ: they thought he could cure at hand, but not at a distance; or they thought that it was because he did not know of their brother's indisposition that he permitted him to die. In either of these cases it plainly appears they had not a proper notion of his…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-32Verses 17-32 Here was a house where the fear of God was, and on which his blessing rested; yet it was made a house of mourning. Grace will keep sorrow from the heart, but not from the house. When God, by his grace and providence, is coming towards us in ways of mercy and comfort, we should, like Martha, go forth by faith, hope, and prayer, to meet him. When Martha went to meet Jesus, Mary sat still in the house; this temper formerly had been an advantage…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Lord, if You had been here: Mary later repeated Martha’s words (11:32), because both sisters knew that Jesus had a reputation as a healer. They concluded that Jesus would have healed Lazarus, but they did not imagine that Jesus would restore him from death.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2220-22. Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him--true to the energy and activity of her character, as seen in Lu 10:38-42. (See on Lu 10:38-42). but Mary sat ... in the house--equally true to her placid character. These undesigned touches not only charmingly illustrate the minute historic fidelity of both narratives, but their inner harmony.Read the comment

Topics related to John 11:21

• Faith
• Friendship
• Jesus, the Christ
• Miracles
• Readings, Select
• Sorrow

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Martha
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Awake
• Lazarus
• Mourn
• Bethany
• Dead
• Die
• Jesus Christ

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