John 11:1

1 Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived, was sick.

John 11:1 Meaning and Commentary

John 11:1

Now a certain man was sick
Very likely of a fever; Nonnus calls it a morbid fire, a hot and burning disease:

[named] Lazarus of Bethany;
for his name, which the Ethiopic version reads "Eleazar", and the Persic version "Gazarus", (See Gill on Luke 16:24); and for the place Bethany, (See Gill on Matthew 21:1), (See Gill on Matthew 21:17).

The town of Mary and her sister Martha;
where they were both born, as well as Lazarus, or at least where they dwelt; of the former, some account is, given in the next verse, and of the latter, (See Gill on Luke 10:38).

John 11:1 In-Context

1 Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived, was sick.

2 (Mary was the woman who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was the one who was sick.)

3 So the sisters sent a messenger to tell Jesus, "Lord, your close friend is sick."

4 When Jesus heard the message, he said, "His sickness won't result in death. Instead, this sickness will bring glory to God so that the Son of God will receive glory through it."

5 Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.