John 11:35Jesus wept.
The setting
Bethany, Israel (~30 AD). Jesus stands outside Lazarus's tomb with Mary and Martha, surrounded by mourning Jews. Despite knowing He'll raise Lazarus in minutes, Jesus breaks down crying.
The emotion here: moved to record the stunning humanity of Jesus
The original word
edákrysen (ἐδάκρυσεν) — burst into tears, not silent weeping but audible sobbing
Why it matters
This is the shortest verse in the English Bible, but in Greek it's just two words
Read with care
What most readers miss in John 11:35
Jesus wept KNOWING He was about to raise Lazarus — His tears weren't about death but about human suffering
Common misconceptionPeople think Jesus wept because He was sad about Lazarus dying. But He knew He was about to raise him. He wept because of the pain sin causes — watching people He loved suffer.
The thread continues
Verses that echo John 11:35
Bible Genome reading
John 11:35 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
John 11:35 comes from the book of John, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to John. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 95% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include empathy, humanity. Notable phrases: Jesus wept.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
“But now your kingdom shall not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince …”
— 1 Samuel 13:14
Your reflection
What does John 11:35 mean to you, today?
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