the Jews who were with her in the house

The Greek that is translated as “the Jews who were with her in the house” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as die jüdischen Freunde, die bei Maria zu Hause gewesen waren or “the Jewish friends who were with Mary at her house.” Likewise, in John 11:45, that translation also refers to “Jewish friends” at Mary’s house.

See also the Jews (people).

the Jews (Judeans)

In the English Good News Bible (2nd edition of 1992), this occurrence of the Greek hoi Ioudaioi, traditionally “the Jews” in English, is translated with “Judeans” or “people from Judea.” For an explanation of the differentiated translation in English as well as translation choices in a number of languages, see the Jews.

Mary (of Bethany)

The Greek that is transliterated as “Mary (of Bethany)” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a signs for “woman” and “listen,” referring to Luke 10:39. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Mary” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Martha and more on Bible Odyssey: Mary and Martha .

complete verse (John 11:31)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 11:31:

  • Uma: “The Yahudi people who were comforting-the-family [term referring to Uma custom gathering in the house of the bereaved after the funeral] saw Maria rushing out of the house. They said: ‘She must be going to the grave, going to wail there.’ So, they also went following her.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The Yahudi who were Mariyam’s companions in the house and who were comforting her, when they saw Mariyam go down quickly, they followed her. They thought-mistakenly she was going to the grave of her brother to weep there.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the Jews who were with Mary in the house to comfort her, when they saw Mary quickly stand up and go out, they followed her because they supposed that she was going to the burial place because she will weep there.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As for the Jews who were in the house comforting plural Maria, when they saw her hurrying to leave, they followed, because they thought that she was going to Lazarus’ burial-place to go cry.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Maria was followed after by her companions, those Judio who were comforting her there at the house. When they saw how suddenly Maria got up and went out, they thought-mistakenly that she would go to the grave to cry there again.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Mary was seen to get up quickly, go out and leave. The Jews who were there at the house to console her followed, thinking that she was going in order to cry at the place the corpse was.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 11:31

In Greek this verse is one sentence, which Good News Translation divides into two. In English it is more natural to refer to a person by name the first time he is introduced in a narrative, and then to refer to him by pronouns. Good News Translation does so, introducing Mary in the first part of verse 31 and then referring to Mary as her … her … her … she. This practice is not in keeping with the Greek structure, which introduces the noun Mary about midway in the verse. However, in translating one must give attention to the structural requirements of the receptor language.

The same comments can be made of get up and hurry out as were made of got up and hurried out in verse 29. Here, too, it is more natural to put the adverb “quickly” with the verb get up than with the verb “went.”

They thought is actually a participle in Greek (“thinking”) which is dependent upon the main clause in the sentence. The infinitive phrase to weep there translates a clause of purpose in Greek, literally, “in order that she might weep there.”

The grave, to which reference is made in this verse, was actually a cave with a stone placed at the entrance (verse 38). The word “tomb” (so most translations) is slightly archaic, and grave implies to most English readers something other than a cave with a stone rolled in front of the entrance. However, the word grave is a more natural English term, and a description of this grave is given in verse 38.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 11:31

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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