When Jesus heard that
That his friend Lazarus was sick,
he said;
either to his disciples, or to the messenger or messengers that
brought the account to him, and that on purpose to yield some
relief to the afflicted family when it should be reported to
them:
this sickness is not unto death;
it was to issue in death, but not in death which was to continue,
or under which Lazarus was to continue till the general
resurrection; for though he should die, yet he should be so
quickly restored again to life, that it scarcely deserved the
name of death. The Jews distinguish between sickness and
sickness; there are some that are sick, the greater part of whom
are, (Myyxl) , "for life";
and there are others that are "sick", the greater part of whom
are, (htyml) , "for death"
F26, or are sick unto death, whose
sickness issues in death; but this of Lazarus's was not to be
unto death, at least not finally:
but for the glory of God;
of his power and goodness in raising him again:
that the Son of God might be glorified thereby;
that is, that his glory, as the Son of God, might be made
manifest in the resurrection of him from the dead; see ( John 2:11 ) .