Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 11:12
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
12. Then said his disciples ] Better, Therefore said the disciples to Him. They catch at any chance of escape from the dreaded journey.
if he sleeps he shall do well ] Better, if he be fallen asleep, he shall be saved, will be cured. Probably they thought that Christ meant to go and cure Lazarus ( Joh 11:37, comp. Joh 9:3); and here they infer from his sleeping that he will recover without Christ’s aid: consequently Christ need not go. They are too full of anxiety to notice Christ’s significant words ‘I go, that I may awake him,’ whereas the rendering in our Bible reads like an expostulation against waking him, as if it meant ‘a sick man should not be disturbed.’ For other instances in which the disciples grossly misunderstand Christ, see Joh 4:33, Joh 14:5; Joh 14:8; Joh 14:22; Mat 16:7; and comp. Joh 3:4; Joh 3:9, Joh 4:11; Joh 4:15, Joh 6:34; Joh 6:52, Joh 7:35, Joh 8:22; Joh 8:33; Joh 8:52. This candour in declaring their own failings adds to our confidence in the veracity of the Evangelists. It is urged that the misunderstanding here is too gross to be probable: but they had not unnaturally understood Christ Himself to nave declared that Lazarus would not die ( Joh 11:4); this being so, they could not easily suppose that by sleep He meant death. Moreover, when men’s minds are on the stretch the strangest misapprehensions become possible.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
If the sleep, he shall do well – Sleep was regarded by the Jews, in sickness, as a favorable symptom; hence it was said among them, Sleep in sickness is a sign of recovery, because it shows that the violence of the disease has abated (Lightfoot). This seems to have been the meaning of the disciples. They intimated that if he had this symptom, there was no need of his going into Judea to restore him.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. If he sleep, he shall do well.] That is, if he sleep only, c. Though the word sleep frequently meant death, (see Ac 7:60; 1Co 11:30; 1Co 15:18, 1Co 15:20), yet, as it was an ambiguous term, the disciples appear here to have mistaken its meaning. Because, in certain acute disorders, the composing the patient to rest was a favourable sign; therefore the words, If he sleep, he shall do well, or recover, became a proverbial forth of speech among the Jews. In most diseases, sleep is a very favourable prognostic: hence that saying of Menander: –
.
Sleep is a remedy for every disease.
See Grotius here. The meaning of the disciples seems to have been this: There can be no need for thee to go into Judea to awake our friend Lazarus; he will awake time enough, and his very sleep is a presage of his recovery: therefore do not hazard thy life by going.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Sleeping moderately is a good sign, we know, in most diseases; this makes the disciples say, that if Lazarus slept he should do well.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. if he sleep, he shall dowellliterally, “be preserved”; that is, recover.”Why then go to Judea?”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep,…. Soundly, quietly, and comfortably, and takes rest in it:
he shall do well; or “be saved” from the disease; he will be delivered from it; he will recover out of it; it is a sign the distemper is leaving him, and he is growing better, and will be restored to his health again: the Ethiopic version renders it by many words, “he will be well”, and “will awake”, and “will live”. Sound sleep is a sign of health. This they said to, put off their master from going into Judea, fearing the danger he would be exposed unto.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He will recover (). Future passive indicative of used in its original sense of being or getting well (safe and sound). Conclusion of the condition of the first class ( ).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Shall do well [] . Literally, shall be saved. Rev., he will recover. Wyc., shall be safe. Tyndale’s Version of the New Testament, shall he do well enough.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Then said his disciples, Lord,” (eipan oun hoi mathetai auto kurie) “Then the disciples said to him, Lord,” or Master.
2) “If he sleep,” (ei kekoimetai) “if he has fallen asleep,” or, if he has drifted into sleep in his serious illness, Joh 11:3-5.
3) “He shall do well.” (sothesetai) “He will be healed,” or be well, that is good for him, he will recover, indicating they felt there was no real need for their return to Judea, Joh 11:11. The disciples were striving to save their Lord from death, Joh 11:8.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
12. If he sleepeth, he will recover. (313) Replying that sleep will have a salutary effect on Lazarus, they thus endeavor indirectly to dissuade Christ from going thither. And yet they do not craftily or deceitfully turn aside Christ’s words to suit their own purpose, on the pretense of not understanding what he said; (314) but, thinking that he spoke about sleep, they gladly seize this opportunity of avoiding danger. Augustine, and many writers since his time, speculate about the word sleep, alleging that the reason why it is applied to death is, because it is as easy for God to raise the dead to life, as it is for us to perform the customary act of awaking those who are asleep. But that nothing of this sort came into the mind of Christ, may be inferred from the constant use of the term in Scripture; and since even profane writers usually apply this word Sleep to Death, (315) there was unquestionably no other reason why it came into use, but because a lifeless corpse lies without feeling, just as the body of a man who is in a profound sleep. Hence, also, sleep is not inappropriately called the image of death, and Homer calls it the brother of death, ( κασίγνητος θανάτουυ.) Since this word denotes only the sleep of the body, it is prodigiously absurd to apply it — as some fanatics have done — to souls, as if, by being deprived of understanding, they were subject to death.
But I go to awake him. Christ asserts his own power, when he says that he will come to awake Lazarus; for, though, as we have said, the word sleep does not express the facility of the resurrection, yet Christ shows that he is Lord of death, when he says, that he awakes those whom he restores to life.
(313) “ Il sera guairi.”
(314) “ Comme faisans semblant de n’entendre point ce que Christ dit.”
(315) “ Et mesmers veu que les autheurs profanes transferent coustumierement ce mot de Dormir a la Mort.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) Then said his disciples.Better, Therefore . . . Their remark immediately arises out of what our Lord has said. They are glad to catch at any reason for not going to Juda.
If he sleep, he shall do well.More exactly, If he be fallen asleep, he shall be saved. There could be, therefore, no reason for His going, as the disease had passed the crisis. Sleep is given by the Rabbis as one of six favourable symptoms, and that it is so is a common-place in authors of all periods. From the apparent suddenness of the attack, and rapidity of the progress of the disease, it would seem to have been the great fever which was common in Palestine (comp. Joh. 4:52, and especially Note on Luk. 4:38), and in which sleep would be the sign that the fever had ceased.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. If he sleep Our Lord’s words were intentionally ambiguous; and the disciples avail themselves of the ambiguity of the language to hint that Lazarus is well enough without him, and so show the needlessness of the hazardous journey. Refreshing sleep is an encouraging symptom, and often the best of medicines.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘The disciples therefore said to him, “Lord, if he is fallen asleep he will recover.” Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him”.’
John goes on to describe how confused the disciples had all been by this statement, once again the indication of an eyewitness. Who else would dare to suggest that the great Apostles could be so dimwitted? They are presented as assuming that Lazarus is asleep and recovering. So Jesus makes the situation crystal clear. ‘Lazarus is dead’. Note the fact that He knew of this fact, even though He had received no word. His awareness was beyond that of others. (Other examples of such awareness are, however, known. When my uncle was killed in France during the first world war, blown up without trace, my aunt in England awoke and cried ‘Jimmy is dead’).
What a difference there was between the two statements, one speaking of ‘sleep’ and the other of ‘death’. The former speaks of sleep and is thus one of hope in an awakening, the latter speaks of death and of seeming finality. Death is the last enemy, but for the Christian death has ceased to be an enemy, it has become the sleep of conscious peace. In the Old Testament the defeat of death has Messianic links (Isa 25:8-10).
‘For your sake I am glad I was not there so that you may believe’. This suggests that humanly speaking Jesus was sad that He had not been able to be there to prevent Lazarus’ death and the heartache of the family. He longed that He could have been there to stop them grieving so. Yet He recognised one benefit as coming from it, the bolstering of the faith of the disciples and the family, and indeed of the world.
‘So that you may believe’. Does He mean believe in the raising from the dead, or in that fact the He is the Raiser of the dead? Or is He speaking of increasing faith? Any is possible, or perhaps all three. For the disciples already ‘believe’.
‘Let us go to him’. Now that His urgent work had been accomplished, He would hasten to help His friend.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joh 11:12. Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. The disciples, understanding our Lord’s words in a literal sense, replied, that they took Lazarus’s sleeping as a favourable symptom of his speedy recovery; and, by saying so, they insinuated that there was no need of their going into Judea on this account, to the hazard of their own, as well as of their Master’s life.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Ver. 12. If he sleep, he shall do well ] Sleep (saith one) is the nurse of nature, the sweet parenthesis of all thy griefs and cares.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
12. ] They evidently understand the sleep announced to them by Jesus as a physical fact, if he has fallen asleep, and a token of a favourable crisis, and (as in E. V. he shall do well ), = his recovery, will probably be the result.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Then = Therefore. if. App-118.
shall do well = shall be saved. Greek. sozo’, as in Joh 10:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
12.] They evidently understand the sleep announced to them by Jesus as a physical fact,-if he has fallen asleep,-and a token of a favourable crisis, and (as in E. V. he shall do well), = his recovery,-will probably be the result.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 11:12. , if he sleep) Often a long sleep is a means of restoration to health. The disciples were supposing that the sleep was sent to Lazarus by Jesus, in order that what He had Himself foretold might come to pass: Joh 11:4, This sickness is not unto death, but, etc., that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 11:12-13
Joh 11:12-13
The disciples therefore said unto him, Lord, if he is fallen asleep, he will recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spake of taking rest in sleep.-His disciples took his language as literal, and to sleep in sickness rests the system and restores vigor. [They also took it that since Lazarus was resting well that his case was hopeful, and lessens the Masters reason for going into the community where his enemies, who desired to stone him, would be. So they use the fact that Lazarus was sleeping as an argument for Jesus not going.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
2
All the disciples knew about Lazarus’ condition so far was that he was sick, and they thought that since “sleep is the best medicine,” it would be well not to disturb him. They did not realize the uses of figurative and literal language, which the Bible as well as other compositions uses. The reader may see a full explanation of these forms of speech in the comments at Mat 9:24.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 11:12. The disciples therefore said unto him, Lord, if he hath fallen asleep, he shall be saved. We can hardly escape the thought that they have in their mind some tidings brought at the same time with the message of Joh 11:3, descriptive of the nature of the illness. Was it some raging fever that threatened the life of Lazarus, then, if calm slumber has come upon him, he is safe! Surely therefore it is no longer necessary for their Lord to expose Himself to peril by returning to Judea.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. How desirous the disciples were that Christ should not go to Bethany where Lazarus was, Bethany being within two miles of Jerusalem, where the seat of our Saviour’s enemies was. But our Lord, knowing his call to be clear, resolves to go; Nevertheless, says Christ, let us go unto him.
O love, stronger than death! the grave cannot separate betwixt Christ and his friends: other friends accompany us to the brink of the grave, and there they leave us to worms and dust; for death hath both horror and noisomeness to attend it: but for thee, O Saviour, the grave-stone, the earth, the coffin, are no bounders of thy dear respects.
Blessed be God, that neither life nor death can separate from the love of Christ: but even after death and burial he is graciously affected to those he loves. Christ has a gracious regard to the dust of his saints: though his holy ones see corruption, they not always lie under the power of corruption; their dead bodies are a part of the undoubted members of Christ’s mystical body.
Blessed be God, the time is coming, when Christ shall knock at the door of his children’s graves, and call them up out of their bed of dust, and they shall hear the voice of he Son of God, and live.
Observe, 2. The wise and holy design of Christ in delaying to go to Bethany till Lazarus was dead; namely, that he might at once raise Lazarus’s dead body, and his disciples faith, confirming them in the belief, that he was the Son of God, and the true Messias.
But could the faith of the apostles want confirmation, who had seen so many miracle wrought by our Saviour, and had lived under his minstry all the time of it?
Yes; the faith of the most eminent saint, even of the apostles themselves, want confirmation in this state of weakness and imperfection, and is capable of growth. I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.
Observe, 3. The great passion which Thomas expresses upon the notice given by Christ of Lazarus’s death: plainly, Lazarus is dead, says Christ; Let us go, and die with him, says Thomas.
Oh what passionate and impatient expressions do sometimes drop from our mouths, on occasion of the death of our dear relations! we are ready to be so affected with the death of our friends, as to wish ourselves out of the world, that we might be with them. But we must remember, that it is God that appoints us our several posts, and particular stations, which we must keep, till the wisdom of God sees fit to remove us.