John Chapter 11

“Now a certain man was sick, etc.] Very likely of a fever; Nonnus calls it a morbid fire, a hot and burning disease: [named] Lazarus of Bethany; for his name, which the Ethiopic version reads “Eleazar”, and the Persic version “Gazarus”, (see Gill on “<421624>Luke 16:24”); and for the place Bethany, (see Gill on “<402101>Matthew 21:1”), (see Gill on “<402117>Matthew 21:17”). The town of Mary and her sister Martha; where they were both born, as well as Lazarus, or at least where they dwelt; of the former, some account is, given in the next verse, and of the latter, (see Gill on “<421038>Luke 10:38”).”

“LAZARUS RAISED FROM THE DEAD--THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS. (John 11:1-46) of Bethany--at the east side of Mount Olivet. the town of Mary and her sister Martha--thus distinguishing it from the other Bethany, "beyond Jordan." (See on Joh 1:28; Joh 10:40).”

“A certain man was sick - The resurrection of Lazarus has been recorded only by John. Various reasons have been conjectured why the other evangelists did not mention so signal a miracle. The most probable is, that at the time they wrote Lazarus was still living. The miracle was well known, and yet to have recorded it might have exposed Lazarus to opposition and persecution from the Jews. See John 12:10-11. Besides, John wrote for Christians who were out of Palestine. The other gospels were written chiefly for those who were in Judea. There was the more need, therefore, that he should enter minutely into the…”

“One Lazarus - It is probable, Lazarus was younger than his sisters. Bethany is named, the town of Mary and Martha, and Lazarus is mentioned after them, Joh 11:5. Ecclesiastical history informs us, that Lazarus was now thirty years old, and that he lived thirty years after Christ's ascension. John 11:2”

“11:1-57 The raising of Lazarus foreshadows Jesus’ own coming death and resurrection. Even the description of Lazarus’ grave (11:38, 44) prefigures Jesus’ grave (20:1, 7). Shortly after this event, Jesus was anointed for burial (12:3) and the hour of his glorification began (12:23). 11:1 In Hebrew, Lazarus is a shortened form of Eleazar (“God helps”). Among Jews in the first century, it was the fourth-most-common name for a man (see also Luke 16:19-31). • Bethany was a small village east of Jerusalem just over the Mount of Olives (John 11:18) and was where Jesus often stayed when he was in Jerusalem. Jesus would…”

“Now: The raising of Lazarus from the dead, being a work of Christ beyond measure great, the most stupendous of all he had hitherto performed, and beyond all others calculated to evince his Divine majesty, was therefore purposely recorded by the Evangelist John; while it was omitted by the other Evangelists, probably, as Grotius supposes, because they wrote their histories during the life of Lazarus, and they did not mention him for fear of exciting the malice of the Jews against him; as we find from Joh 12:10, that they sought to put him to death, that our Lord might not have such a monument of his power and…”