YHN 11:4 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) However, when Yeshua got the message he said to those around him, “This sickness won’t end in death but in honour for God, so that his son will also be honoured because of it.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But having heard it, Jesus said, “This sickness is not to death but for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

UST When Jesus heard about Lazarus’ illness, he said, “This illness will not end in Lazarus’ death. Rather, the purpose of this illness is to reveal how great God is. Lazarus became ill in order that the illness may reveal how great I, the Son of God, am.”

BSB [When] Jesus heard [this], He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, [it is] for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

BLB And having heard, Jesus said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

AICNT But when Jesus heard it, he said, “{This}[fn] sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of [[his]][fn] God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

11:4, This: Some manuscripts read “His.” D(05) Latin(d)

11:4, his: Some manuscripts include. P*66

OEB and, when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness is not to end in death, but is to redound to the honour of God, in order that the Son of God may be honoured through it.’

WEBBE But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”

WMBB But when Yeshua heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”

NET When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

LSV and Jesus having heard, said, “This ailment is not to death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

FBV When Jesus heard the news he said, “The end result of this sickness will not be death. Through this God's glory will be revealed so that the Son of God may be glorified.”

TCNT But when Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

T4T They hoped that Jesus would come, but when Jesus heard the message, he said, “His being sick will not end in his dying. Instead, it will result in people realizing how great God is, and that I, God’s son, may be honored {that people may honor me, God’s son}, because of what I will do.”

LEB And when he[fn] heard it,[fn] Jesus said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

11:4 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal

11:4 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE When this came to his ears, Jesus said, The end of this disease is not death, but the glory of God, so that the Son of God may have glory because of it.

Moff When Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness is not to end in death; the end of it is the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby."

Wymth Jesus received the message and said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is to promote the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

ASV But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.

DRA And Jesus hearing it, said to them: This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God: that the Son of God may be glorified by it.

YLT and Jesus having heard, said, 'This ailment is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'

Drby But when Jesus heard [it], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of [fn]God, that the Son of [fn]God may be glorified by it.

11.4 Elohim

RV But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.

SLT And Jesus having heard, said, This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that by it the Son of God be honoured.

Wbstr When Jesus heard that , he said, This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.

KJB-1769 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

KJB-1611 When Iesus heard that, hee said, This sicknesse is not vnto death, but for the glory of God, that the Sonne of God might be glorified thereby.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps When Iesus hearde that, he sayde, this infirmitie is not vnto death: but for the glory of God, that the sonne of God, myght be glorified therby.
(When Yesus/Yeshua heard that, he said, this infirmitie is not unto death: but for the glory of God, that the son of God, might be glorified thereby.)

Gnva When Iesus heard it, he saide, This sickenes is not vnto death, but for the glorie of God, that the Sonne of God might be glorified thereby.
(When Yesus/Yeshua heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. )

Cvdl Wha Iesus herde that, he sayde: This sicknesse is not vnto death, but for the prayse of God, yt the sonne of God maye be praysed there thorow.
(Wha Yesus/Yeshua heard that, he said: This sickness is not unto death, but for the praise of God, it the son of God may be praised there through.)

TNT When Iesus hearde that he sayd: this infirmite is not vnto deth but for the laude of God that the sonne of God myght be praysed by the reason of it.
(When Yesus/Yeshua heard that he said: this infirmite is not unto death but for the laud/praise of God that the son of God might be praised by the reason of it. )

Wycl And Jhesus herde, and seide to hem, This syknesse is not to the deth, but for the glorie of God, that mannus sone be glorified bi hym.
(And Yhesus herd/heard, and said to hem, This sickness is not to the death, but for the glory of God, that man’s son be glorified by him.)

Luth Da JEsus das hörete, sprach er: Die Krankheit ist nicht zum Tode, sondern zur Ehre Gottes, daß der Sohn Gottes dadurch geehret werde.
(So Yesus the heard, spoke he: The illness is not for_the deaths, rather to/for honour(n) God’s, that the/of_the son God’s through_this honoured become.)

ClVg Audiens autem Jesus dixit eis: Infirmitas hæc non est ad mortem, sed pro gloria Dei, ut glorificetur Filius Dei per eam.[fn]
(Listenens however Yesus he/she_said to_them: Infirmitas these_things not/no it_is to death, but for glory of_God, as glorificetur Son of_God through her. )

11.4 Pro gloria Dei, etc. Id est, ut glorificetur Filius Dei. Ecce se Deum dicit, contra illos qui dicunt Filium Dei non esse Deum.

11.4 For glory of_God, etc. That it_is, as glorificetur Son of_God. Behold himself God he_says, on_the_contrary those who/which they_say Son of_God not/no to_be God.

UGNT ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς θάνατον, ἀλλ’ ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ δι’ αὐτῆς.
(akousas de ho Yaʸsous eipen, hautaʸ haʸ astheneia ouk estin pros thanaton, all’ huper taʸs doxaʸs tou Theou, hina doxasthaʸ ho Huios tou Theou di’ autaʸs.)

SBL-GNT ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς θάνατον ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ διʼ αὐτῆς.
(akousas de ho Yaʸsous eipen; Hautaʸ haʸ astheneia ouk estin pros thanaton allʼ huper taʸs doxaʸs tou theou hina doxasthaʸ ho huios tou theou diʼ autaʸs.)

RP-GNT Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς θάνατον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ δι' αὐτῆς.
(Akousas de ho Yaʸsous eipen, Hautaʸ haʸ astheneia ouk estin pros thanaton, all' huper taʸs doxaʸs tou theou, hina doxasthaʸ ho huios tou theou di' autaʸs.)

TC-GNT Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἔστι πρὸς θάνατον, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ δι᾽ αὐτῆς.
(Akousas de ho Yaʸsous eipen, Hautaʸ haʸ astheneia ouk esti pros thanaton, all huper taʸs doxaʸs tou Theou, hina doxasthaʸ ho huios tou Theou di autaʸs. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:1–16: Jesus’ friend Lazarus died

In this section, a friend of Jesus, a man named Lazarus, became sick and died. Jesus waited until after he died before he went to Lazarus’ town. Jesus told his disciples that they should go because Lazarus was asleep and he wanted to wake him. They did not understand, so Jesus had to tell them that Lazarus was dead.

Here are other possible section headings:

Lazarus got sick and died

Jesus waited until after Lazarus died before going to him

Paragraph 11:4–7

This paragraph tells about Jesus’ response to the news that Lazarus was ill.

11:4a

When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death.

¶ Hearing this message, Jesus said, “This illness will not end/result in death.
¶ When Jesus heard/received this news, he replied. “The purpose of the sickness is not for Lazarus to die.

The Greek begins this verse with a conjunction that could indicate something that is not expected, so some translations translate it as “But.” What Jesus said here was not expected. However, it also could just indicate the next thing that happened in the story. Because of that, most English translations like the BSB do not translate this word. Translate this word in a way that is most natural in your language.

When Jesus heard this: This clause introduces what happened when Jesus heard the news that Lazarus was sick. Here is another way to translate this clause:

On receiving the message (NJB)

He said: This phrase refers to what Jesus said in response to the message from Mary and Martha. He was probably talking to the messenger, telling him what to tell the sisters. In some languages it may be necessary to say to whom Jesus was talking. For example:

Jesus told the messenger

This sickness will not end in death: The Greek more literally says, “This illness (sickness) is not to death.” This indicates that Lazarus’ illness will not end with Lazarus’ death. Even though Lazarus did die, he came back to life so the final result of Lazarus’ illness was not death. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus. (GNT)

That sickness of his, its final result will not be death

11:4b

No, it is for the glory of God,

No, this illness is to reveal/show the glory/greatness of God,
Its purpose is for people to see how glorious/wonderful God is

No: The word the BSB has translated as No here connects a negative statement to a positive statement. The negative statement is “This illness does not lead to death” (11:4a) and the positive statement is “it is for God’s glory” (11:4b). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:

Use the conjunction “but.” This Greek conjunction is often translated as “but.” For example:
This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory (NET)
Use a conjunction other than “but.” This is a common way in English to show this type of emphasis. For example:
His sickness won’t result in death. Instead, this sickness will bring glory to God (GW)
Do not use a conjunction. For example:
This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory (NIV)
His sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God (CEV)
The final result of this illness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God (GNT)
Change the order of the clauses. For example:
His illness will result in bringing glory to God. It will not end in death.

You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.

it is for the glory of God: This clause can be understood in two ways:

It indicates that the purpose of Lazarus’ illness was to show how great God is. For example:
through it God’s glory is to be revealed (REB) (REB)
it indicates that the purpose of Lazarus’ illness was for God to receive praise through what happened. For example:
in order to bring glory to God (GNT)
(GNT, NET, GW, NLT, CEV, NCV)

Several translations can be understood in either way (BSB, KJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NIV).

Both of these meanings are acceptable. However, the context favors option (1), and so do several modern scholars.See Carson, page 406, Kostenberger, page 327, UBS Handbook p. 356, Keener, page 839. And 11:40 refers to the glory of God as something that you see, not something that you give or do. So it is recommended that you follow option (1). If your national language translations follow option (2), you may want to follow that.

for the glory of God: The words the glory of God here refer to the greatness of God, his majesty and power. In some languages it may be natural to translate the noun glory as an adjective. For example:

show how glorious/great God is

11:4c

so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

so that because of it the Son of God may receive praise.”
and so glorify/honor me his Son.”

so that: The Greek word that the BSB translates as so that introduces a purpose clause. This is another purpose of Lazarus’ illness: that the Son of God will be glorified, that is, praised. For example:

and it will be the means through which (GNT)

the Son of God may be glorified: The words may be glorified mean that Jesus the Son of God will receive glory. People will praise him and recognize that God sent him into the world. This is a passive phrase and there are at least two ways to translate it:

Use a passive verb, as in the BSB.
Use an active verb. For example:
to bring glory to the Son of God (NCV)
so that the Son of God will receive glory (GW)

the Son of God: Jesus used this title to refer to himself. In some languages it may be necessary to supply the first-person pronoun “I” or “me.” For example:

I, the Son of God

The phrase the Son of God is a title for Jesus. This title indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It also indicates that the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship that resulted in Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus.

See how you translated the Son of God at 1:34. For further information, see the note on this phrase at 1:34.

through it: This phrase means “through Lazarus’ illness.” It was because of Lazarus’ illness that people would understand that Jesus was the Son of God and glorify him. Lazarus’ illness provided an opportunity for Jesus to display his power and mercy.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς θάνατον

not (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀκούσας Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἐστίν πρός θάνατον ἀλλʼ ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ διʼ αὐτῆς)

Here, not to indicates that what follows is not the result of the sickness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning explicitly. Alternate translation: [This sickness will not result in death]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

ἀλλ’ ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ

but (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀκούσας Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἐστίν πρός θάνατον ἀλλʼ ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ διʼ αὐτῆς)

Jesus is stating the purpose for Lazarus’s sickness. Use a natural way in your language for introducing a purpose clause. Alternate translation: [but for the purpose of glorifying God]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀκούσας Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἐστίν πρός θάνατον ἀλλʼ ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ διʼ αὐτῆς)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of glory, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [in order to glorify God]

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ δι’ αὐτῆς

in_order_that ˓may_be˒_glorified the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀκούσας Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἐστίν πρός θάνατον ἀλλʼ ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ διʼ αὐτῆς)

Jesus is stating the second purpose for Lazarus’s sickness. Use a natural way in your language for introducing a second purpose clause. Alternate translation: [and for the purpose of glorifying the Son of God]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ

¬the the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀκούσας Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Αὕτη ἡ ἀσθένεια οὐκ ἐστίν πρός θάνατον ἀλλʼ ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ διʼ αὐτῆς)

Jesus is referring to himself in third person. If this is confusing in your language, you can use the first person form, as in the UST.

Note 6 topic: guidelines-sonofgodprinciples

Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ

Son of God is an important title for Jesus.

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Jesus’ Final Journey to Jerusalem

Much like the difficulties of discerning the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land (see here), the task of reconciling the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem into one coherent itinerary has proven very challenging for Bible scholars. As with many other events during Jesus’ ministry, the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels) present a noticeably similar account of Jesus’ final travels, while John’s Gospel presents an itinerary that is markedly different from the others. In general, the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus as making a single journey to Jerusalem, beginning in Capernaum (Luke 9:51), passing through Perea (Matthew 19:1-2; Mark 10:1) and Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-19:10), and ending at Bethany and Bethphage, where he enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44). John, on the other hand, mentions several trips to Jerusalem by Jesus (John 2:13-17; 5:1-15; 7:1-13; 10:22-23), followed by a trip to Perea across the Jordan River (John 10:40-42), a return to Bethany where he raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11), a withdrawal to the village of Ephraim for a few months (John 11:54), and a return trip to Bethany, where he then enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (John 12:1-19). The differences between the Synoptics’ and John’s accounts are noteworthy, but they are not irreconcilable. The Synoptics, after noting that Jesus began his trip at Capernaum, likely condensed their accounts (as occurs elsewhere in the Gospels) to omit Jesus’ initial arrival in Jerusalem and appearance at the Festival of Dedication, thus picking up with Jesus in Perea (stage 2 of John’s itinerary). Then all the Gospels recount Jesus’ trip (back) to Bethany and Jerusalem, passing through Jericho along the way. Likewise, the Synoptics must have simply omitted the few months Jesus spent in Ephraim to escape the Jewish leaders (stage 4 of John’s itinerary) and rejoined John’s account where Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem on a donkey.

Parallel YHN 11:4

Section 11:1–16: Jesus’ friend Lazarus died

Paragraph 11:4–7

11:4a

11:4b

11:4c

Jesus’ Final Journey to Jerusalem