Devine Scripture

John 11:55

What does John 11:55 mean?

A plain-English look at John 11:55 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What John 11:55 means

Passover is near, and many go up to Jerusalem beforehand to purify themselves. The city fills with pilgrims focused on ritual preparation, heightening the anticipation. This sets the national and religious backdrop for the climactic events to come. The mention of purification hints at the longing for cleansing and readiness before God—needs that will be decisively met not by ritual alone, but by the Lamb whom John’s Gospel presents as fulfilling Passover’s meaning. The verse gathers the people and directs attention to the feast, preparing for Jesus’ final public appearance.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

Now the passover of the Jews was at hand: and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, to purify themselves.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

Now the passover of the Jews was at hand: and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, to purify themselves.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and numbers of people went up from the country to Jerusalem to make themselves clean before the Passover.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And the passover of the Jews was nigh, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, that they might purify themselves;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And the pasch of the Jews was at hand: and many from the country went up to Jerusalem, before the pasch, to purify themselves.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

But the passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, that they might purify themselves.

Context

After Jesus withdraws to Ephraim, the narrative shifts to Jerusalem’s seasonal dynamics. Pilgrims flood the city in preparation for Passover, creating a crowded stage. The next verse will report their conversations about Jesus’ whereabouts and whether He will attend. The leaders’ plot and the people’s expectation begin to converge, setting the stage for the decisive confrontation in the following chapter.

v.54Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there he tarried with the disciples.

v.55This passage

v.56They sought therefore for Jesus, and spake one with another, as they stood in the temple, What think ye? That he will not come to the feast?

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • John 12:1

    Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

  • Ezra 3:1

    And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

  • Hebrews 9:13

    For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh:

  • Matthew 26:1

    And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples,

  • Numbers 9:6

    And there were certain men, who were unclean by reason of the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:

  • Genesis 35:2

    Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments:

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