Paragraph 11:4–7

This paragraph tells about Jesus’ response to the news that Lazarus was ill.

11:4a

The Greek begins this verse with a conjunction that could indicate something that is not expected, so some translations translate it as “But.” What Jesus said here was not expected. However, it also could just indicate the next thing that happened in the story. Because of that, most English translations like the Berean Standard Bible do not translate this word. Translate this word in a way that is most natural in your language.

When Jesus heard this: This clause introduces what happened when Jesus heard the news that Lazarus was sick. Here is another way to translate this clause:

On receiving the message (New Jerusalem Bible)

He said: This phrase refers to what Jesus said in response to the message from Mary and Martha. He was probably talking to the messenger, telling him what to tell the sisters. In some languages it may be necessary to say to whom Jesus was talking. For example:

Jesus told ⌊the messenger⌋

This sickness will not end in death: The Greek more literally says, “This illness (sickness) is not to death.” This indicates that Lazarus’ illness will not end with Lazarus’ death. Even though Lazarus did die, he came back to life so the final result of Lazarus’ illness was not death. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus. (Good News Translation)
-or-
That sickness of his, its final result will not be death

11:4b

No: The word the Berean Standard Bible has translated as No here connects a negative statement to a positive statement. The negative statement is “This illness does not lead to death” (11:4a) and the positive statement is “it is for God’s glory” (11:4b). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:

• Use the conjunction “but.” This Greek conjunction is often translated as “but.” For example:

This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory (NET Bible Bible)

• Use a conjunction other than “but.” This is a common way in English to show this type of emphasis. For example:

His sickness won’t result in death. Instead, this sickness will bring glory to God (God’s Word)

• Do not use a conjunction. For example:

This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory (New International Version)
-or-
His sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The final result of this illness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God (Good News Translation)

• Change the order of the clauses. For example:

His illness will result in bringing glory to God. It will not end in death.

You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.

it is for the glory of God: This clause can be understood in two ways:

(1) It indicates that the purpose of Lazarus’ illness was to show how great God is. For example:

through it God’s glory is to be revealed (Revised English Bible)

(Revised English Bible)

(2) it indicates that the purpose of Lazarus’ illness was for God to receive praise through what happened. For example:

in order to bring glory to God (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, NET Bible Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

Several translations can be understood in either way (Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New International Version).

Both of these meanings are acceptable. However, the context favors option (1), and so do several modern scholars. And 11:40 refers to the glory of God as something that you see, not something that you give or do. So it is recommended that you follow option (1). If your national language translations follow option (2), you may want to follow that.

for the glory of God: The words the glory of God here refer to the greatness of God, his majesty and power. In some languages it may be natural to translate the noun glory as an adjective. For example:

show how glorious/great God is

11:4c

so that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces a purpose clause. This is another purpose of Lazarus’ illness: that the Son of God will be glorified, that is, praised. For example:

and it will be the means through which (Good News Translation)

the Son of God may be glorified: The words may be glorified mean that Jesus the Son of God will receive glory. People will praise him and recognize that God sent him into the world. This is a passive phrase and there are at least two ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

• Use an active verb. For example:

to bring glory to the Son of God (New Century Version)
-or-
so that the Son of God will receive glory (God’s Word)

the Son of God: Jesus used this title to refer to himself. In some languages it may be necessary to supply the first-person pronoun “I” or “me.” For example:

⌊I,⌋ the Son of God

The phrase the Son of God is a title for Jesus. This title indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It also indicates that the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship that resulted in Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus.

See how you translated the Son of God at 1:34. For further information, see the note on this phrase at 1:34.

through it: This phrase means “through Lazarus’ illness.” It was because of Lazarus’ illness that people would understand that Jesus was the Son of God and glorify him. Lazarus’ illness provided an opportunity for Jesus to display his power and mercy.

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