John 11:4
What does John 11:4 mean?
A plain-English look at John 11:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 11:4 means
Jesus responds with a striking verdict: the sickness is “not unto death,” but is ordained for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. He does not deny that Lazarus will die; He declares that death will not have the last word. The aim is revelation, not mere relief. God’s glory and the Son’s glory stand together, showing the unique unity of the Father and the Son. This sets the theological lens for the whole chapter: suffering and delay serve a larger purpose—God making Himself known in and through His Son’s life-giving power.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.
KJV
King James Version · 1611When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949When this came to his ears, Jesus said, The end of this disease is not death, but the glory of God, so that the Son of God may have glory because of it.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and Jesus having heard, said, `This ailment is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And Jesus hearing it, said to them: This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God: that the Son of God may be glorified by it.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890But when Jesus heard [it], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory ofGod, that the Son ofGod may be glorified by it.
Context
Jesus’ words follow immediately after the sisters’ plea, reframing the crisis. Before any action is taken, the reader is told the divine purpose behind what will unfold. The declaration prepares us to understand the coming delay and the eventual miracle as one seamless plan. The next verse will underscore Jesus’ love for this family, so that His waiting cannot be misread as indifference. Keeping verse 4 in view helps us read the entire narrative as a revelation of the Son’s glory.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
- John 17:10
and all things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine: and I am glorified in them.
- 1 Peter 4:11
if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
- John 13:31
When therefore he was gone out, Jesus saith, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him;
- John 17:1
These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee:
- Philippians 1:20
according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
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