John 11:26

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does John 11:26 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:26 — American Standard Version

Context — John 11

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
26and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, etc.]. Whoever will be found alive at Christ’s second coming, and is a believer in him, shall never die, but shall be changed, and shall be for ever with Christ; and such as shall be raised to life by him, shall never die any more, not even a bodily death, and much less an eternal one, or the second death: and though believers die a corporeal death as others do, yet their souls live, and live in happiness, whilst their bodies are under the power of death; nor shall they always continue so, but being raised, shall become immortal, and die no more. So living believers in Christ shall never die more a spiritual death; they are passed from death to life,…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Whosoever liveth - He had just spoken of the prospects of the pious dead. He now says that the same prospects are before the living who have like faith. Greek, “Every one living and believing on me.” Shall never die - As the dead, though dead, shall yet live, so the living shall have the same kind of life. They shall never come into eternal death. See John 6:50-51, John 6:54, John 6:58. Greek, “Shall by no means die forever.” Believest thou this? - This question was doubtless asked because it implied that he was then able to raise up Lazarus, and because it was a proper time for her to test her own faith. The time of affliction is a favorable period to try ourselves to ascertain whether we…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“11:26-27 Do you believe this? Jesus was not asking if Martha believed he could bring Lazarus from the grave. Rather, did she believe that life itself is linked to Jesus? • “Yes, Lord”: Even though the full implications were beyond her comprehension, she acknowledged that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Yet she was surprised at the power he held.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“whosoever: Joh 3:15-18, Joh 4:14, Joh 5:24, Joh 6:50, Joh 6:54-58, Joh 8:52, Joh 8:53, Joh 10:28; Rom 8:13; Jo1 5:10-12 Believest: Joh 9:35, Joh 14:10; Mat 9:28, Mat 26:53; Mar 9:23 John 11:27”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification