John 11:43

43 When he had said these things, he cried with a great voice, Lazarus, come forth.

John 11:43 Meaning and Commentary

John 11:43

And when he had thus spoken
To God his Father, in the presence and hearing of the people;

he cried with a loud voice;
not on account of the dead, but for the sake of those around him, that all might hear and observe; and chiefly to show his majesty, power and authority, and that what he did was open and above board, and not done by any secret, superstitious, and magical whisper; and as an emblem of the voice and power of his Gospel in quickening dead sinners, and of the voice of the arcangel and trumpet of God, at the general resurrection;

Lazarus come forth;
he calls him by his name, not only as being his friend, and known by him, but to distinguish him from any other corpse that might lie interred in the same cave; and he bids him come forth out of the cave, he being quickened and raised immediately by the power which went forth from Christ as soon as ever he lifted up his voice; which showed him to be truly and properly God, and to have an absolute dominion over death and the grave.

John 11:43 In-Context

41 Therefore they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I do thankings to thee, for thou hast heard me;

42 and I knew, that thou evermore hearest me [forsooth, I knew, for thou ever hearest me], but for the people that standeth about, I said, that they believe, that thou hast sent me.

43 When he had said these things, he cried with a great voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44 And at once he that was dead, came out, bound the hands and feet with bonds, and his face bound with a sudarium. And Jesus saith to them, Unbind ye him, and suffer ye him to go forth. [And anon, he that was dead, came forth, bound the hands and feet with bonds, and his face was bound with a sudarium, or sweating cloth. Jesus saith to them, Unbind ye him, and suffer ye him for to go away.]

45 Therefore many of the Jews that came to Mary and Martha, and saw what things Jesus did, believed in him.