John 11:55

John 11:55 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
• New Living Translation (NLT)It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began.

Context of John 11:55

53So from that day on they plotted to take his life. 54Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

John 11:55 word by word

Ἦν δὲ ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἀνέβησαν πολλοὶ εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐκ τῆς χώρας πρὸ τοῦ πάσχα ἵνα ἁγνίσωσιν ἑαυτούς.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• the Jews’ἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• passoverπάσχαpascha · Passover lambG3957
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• nigh at handἐγγύςeggus · nearG1451
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• wentἀναβαίνωanabainō · to ascendG305
• out ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the countryὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the countryχώραchōra · countryG5561
• up toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• JerusalemἹεροσόλυμαHierosoluma · JerusalemG2414
• beforeπρόpro · beforeG4253
• toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• purifyἁγνίζωhagnizō · to purifyG48
• themselvesἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438

Cross-references for John 11:55

• John 2:13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
• John 5:1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.
• John 6:4The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
• Exodus 12:11This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
• John 7:8You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.”
• John 12:1Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
• Ezra 3:1When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah 8:1all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
• John 2:6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
• Genesis 35:2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.
• Exodus 19:10And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes
• Numbers 9:6But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. So they came to Moses and Aaron that same day
• 1 Samuel 16:5Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
• 2 Chronicles 30:17Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the Lord.
• Job 1:5When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.
• Psalms 26:6I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, Lord,

Commentaries on John 11:55

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 55The Jews' passover was nigh at hand - It is not necessary to suppose that this verse has any particular connection with the preceding. Most chronologists agree that our Lord spent at least two months in Ephraim. This was the last passover which our Lord attended; and it was at this one that he suffered death for the salvation of a lost world. As the passover was nigh, many of the inhabitants of Ephraim and its neighborhood went up to Jerusalem, some time…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 55Jews‘ passover - See the notes at Leviticus 22:1-6. For want of this, great inconvenience was sometimes experienced. See 2 Chronicles 30:17-18. Different periods were necessary in order to be cleansed from ceremonial pollution. For example, one who had been polluted by the touch of a dead body, of a sepulchre, or by the bones of the dead, was sprinkled on the third and seventh days, by a clean person, with hyssop dipped in water mixed in the ashes of the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 54-57Verses 54-57 Before our gospel passover we must renew our repentance. Thus by a voluntary purification, and by religious exercises, many, more devout than their neighbours, spent some time before the passover at Jerusalem. When we expect to meet God, we must solemnly prepare. No devices of man can alter the purposes of God: and while hypocrites amuse themselves with forms and disputes, and worldly men pursue their own plans, Jesus still orders all things…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 55-57As crowds arrived in Jerusalem on pilgrimage for Passover (see 2:13), the city was buzzing with talk about Jesus and his miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. People wondered if Jesus would be obedient to the law and come to the city to celebrate or play it safe in the countryside. The priests and Pharisees knew that Jesus was faithful to the law and would attend the festival, so they tried to make the city a trap for him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55-5755-57. passover ... at hand ... many went ... up ... before the passover, to purify themselves--from any legal uncleanness which would have disqualified them from keeping the feast. This is mentioned to introduce the graphic statement which follows.Read the comment

Topics related to John 11:55

• Purification

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Awake
• Mourn
• Bethany
• Chronology of the New Testament
• Jesus Christ
• John, Gospel of
• Lazarus
• Olives, Mount of
• Passover

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