John 11:18

“Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, etc.] Which was a reason why them were so many of the Jews come there to condole the two sisters upon the death of their brother; and by this means the following miracle became more known there: it was about fifteen furlongs off; that is, about two miles, for seven furlongs and a half made a Jewish mile, as appears from one of their canons f486, which runs thus: “they do not spread nets for doves, except it be distant from an habitable place, syr µyçlç, “thirty furlongs”;” which the commentators say f487 are “four miles”: and still more expressly it is said f488, that “between Jerusalem and Zuck, (the place where the scape goat was had,) there were ten…”

“Bethany was nigh Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs--rather less than two miles; mentioned to explain the visits of sympathy noticed in the following words, which the proximity of the two places facilitated.”

“Nigh unto Jerusalem - This is added to show that it was easy for many of the Jews to come to the place. The news that Jesus was there, and the account of the miracle, would also be easily carried to the Sanhedrin. Fifteen furlongs - Nearly two miles. It was directly east from Jerusalem. Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, vol. ii. p. 599) says of Bethany: “It took half an hour to walk over Olivet to Bethany this morning, and the distance from the city, therefore, must be about two miles. This agrees with what John says: ‘Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.’ The village is small, and appears never to have been large, but it is pleasantly situated near the…”

“fifteen furlongs: that is, about two miles, Joh 6:19; Luk 24:13; Rev 14:20, Rev 21:16 John 11:19”