John 11:9

9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.

John 11:9 Meaning and Commentary

John 11:9

Jesus answered, are there not twelve hours in the day?
&c.] So the Jews reckoned, and so they commonly say F1, (Mwyh ywh twev) (hrve Mytv) , "twelve hours are a day", or a day consists of twelve hours, which they divided into four parts, each part consisting of three hours this was a matter well known, and Christ puts the question as such, it being what might be easily answered, and at once assented to:

if any man walk in the day:
within any of the twelve hours, even in the last of them,

he stumbleth not,
at any stone or stumbling block in the way,

because he seeth the light of this world;
the sun in the horizon not being as yet set, by the light of which he sees what is before him, and avoids it; (See Gill on John 8:12). So our Lord intimates, that as yet it was day with him, his time of life was not expired; and so, as yet, it was a time of walking and working; nor did he fear any danger he was exposed to, or any snares that were laid for him, since he could not be hurt by any, nor his life taken from him before his time.


FOOTNOTES:

F1 T. Bab Sanhedrin, fol. 88. 2. Avoda Zara, fol. 3. 2. Vid. Philo. de Somniis, p. 1143.

John 11:9 In-Context

7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.
10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”
11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
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