John 11:9

9 Iesus answered: are ther not twelve houres in ye daye? Yf a man walke in ye daye he stombleth not because he seith the lyght of this worlde.

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.

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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 Then after that sayd he to his disciples: let us goo into Iewry agayne.

8 His disciples sayde vnto him. Master the Iewes lately sought meanes to stone the and wilt thou goo thyther agayne?

9 Iesus answered: are ther not twelve houres in ye daye? Yf a man walke in ye daye he stombleth not because he seith the lyght of this worlde.

10 But yf a ma walke in ye nyght he stombleth because ther is no lyght in him.

11 This sayde he and after yt he sayde vnto the: oure frende Lazarus slepeth but I goo to wake him out of slepe.