John 11:17

“Then when Jesus came, etc.] The Alexandrian copy, and all the Oriental versions add, “to Bethany”; though it seems by what follows, that he was not come to the town itself, but near it; and it looks as if it was not far from Lazarus’s grave; and it was usual to bury without the city; and here he had intelligence of his, Lazarus’s, death, and how long he had been dead: for he found he had lain in the grave four days already; it is very likely that he died the same day that Mary and Martha sent to Christ to acquaint him with his sickness, and the same day he was buried; for the Jews used to bury the same day a person died, and so they do now: and after Christ had this account, he stayed two…”

“when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days--If he died on the day the tidings came of his illness--and was, according to the Jewish custom, buried the same day (see JAHN'S ArchÃ&brvbrology, and Joh 11:39; Act 5:5-6, Act 5:10) --and if Jesus, after two days' further stay in Perea, set out on the day following for Bethany, some ten hours' journey, that would make out the four days; the first and last being incomplete [MEYER].”

“In the grave - It was sometimes the custom to embalm the dead, but in this case it does not seem to have been done. He was probably buried soon after death. return to 'Top of Page'”

“11:17 People were buried on the same day as their death. John noted that Lazarus had been in his grave for four days, so the miracle could not be construed as resuscitation.”

“four: Joh 11:39, Joh 2:19; Hos 6:2; Act 2:27-31 John 11:18”