11:31a
When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary: These words identify the subject of the word “saw” in 11:31b. They are the same Jews who were mentioned in 11:19. Refer back to them in a way that is clear and natural in your language. For example:
the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
The Jews who were comforting Mary in the house (God’s Word)
This verse returns to the story after the background information in 11:30. So you might want to use the name Mary, as the Berean Standard Bible does, instead of the pronoun “her,” as the Greek does. See the examples above and below to see how you might do that.
In some languages it may be natural to translate this as an independent clause rather than using a who clause. For example
The Jews were with Mary in the house, comforting her. (New Century Version)
-or-
Many people had come to comfort Mary, and when… (Contemporary English Version)
the Jews: This phrase refers to the people who came to comfort the sisters. They were local people, while most of Jesus’ disciples were from Galilee. These Jews were from the province of Judea, possibly Jerusalem. See how you referred to them in 11:19. For example:
the people (Good News Translation)
in the house: This phrase refers to Martha and Mary’s house.
consoling Mary: The word consoling indicates that these people were comforting and encouraging Mary. It is the same word that is used in 11:19.
11:31b
saw how quickly she got up and went out: The ones who were comforting Mary saw her leave the house. See how you translated a similar phrase in 11:29.
11:31c
they followed her: The Jews from Judea who came to comfort Mary left the house when she did.
11:31d
supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there: Verse 11:31d explains why the Jews who were comforting Mary followed her out of the house. They wrongly thought that she was going to mourn at Lazarus’ tomb. Here are other ways to translate 11:31d:
thinking she was going to the tomb to cry there (New Century Version)
-or-
they assumed she was going to Lazarus’ grave to weep (New Living Translation (2004))
the tomb: The word tomb refers to a place where the Jews buried people. Here it refers to a cave with a stone placed over the opening. John will make this clear in verse 38 so you do not need to explain it here. However, you will need to translate tomb with a word or phrase that could refer to a cave. See how you translated the word in 11:17, where the same word is used. In the languages of cultures that do not use tombs, it may be natural to describe what a tomb was. For example:
They thought she was going to the place where her brother was buried.
to mourn: This phrase indicates Mary’s purpose in going to Lazarus’ tomb. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
in order to weep
-or-
because she wanted to weep
there: This word refers to the place where Lazarus was buried, his tomb.
General Comment on 11:31d
In some languages it may be natural to translate what the people thought as direct speech. For example:
They thought, “She/Mary must be going to weep at ⌊her brother’s⌋ tomb.”
General Comment on 11:31
In the Greek text 11:31 forms one long sentence, as in the Berean Standard Bible. In many languages it may be natural to translate this verse as two or more sentences. For example:
The Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave. So they followed her. They thought that she was going to the tomb to cry. (God’s Word)
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