John 11:35 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

Jesus wept.

Jesus Wept, х edakrusen (G1145)]. This beautifully conveys the sublime brevity of the original word; else 'shed tears' might have better conveyed the difference between the word here used and that twice employed in John 11:33 х klaioo (G2799)], and there properly rendered "weeping" - denoting the loud wail for the dead, while that of Jesus consisted of silent tears. Is it for nothing that the Evangelist, some sixty years after it occurred, holds up to all ages with such touching brevity the sublime spectacle of the Son of God in tears? What a seal of His perfect oneness with us in the most redeeming feature of our stricken humanity! But was there nothing in those tears beyond sorrow for human suffering and death? Could these effects move Him without suggesting the cause? Who can doubt that in His ear every feature of the scene proclaimed that stern law of the Kingdom, "The wages of sin is death," and that this element in His visible emotion underlay all the rest? See the notes at Mark 1:29-31, Remark 2 at the close of that section.

John 11:35

35 Jesus wept.