Bible Strands
John 11:36
Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Jewish onlookers speak to one another immediately after Jesus weeps at Lazarus’s tomb. Their remark follows His display of grief and precedes their challenge regarding His power to prevent death.
The words — The Greek ἴδε πῶς (ide pōs) translates literally to “Behold how,” while ἐφίλει (ephilei) means “He was loving.” The imperfect tense emphasizes the ongoing, observable nature of His affection in that moment.
The thread — The recognition of divine love in action parallels John 11:3, where the sisters identify Lazarus as “the one You love,” and 1 John 3:1, which calls attention to the manner of the Father’s love. The same theme of recognized love reappears in 1 John 4:9 regarding God’s sending of His Son.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment of Jesus’ compassion as a visible reality before evaluating His power. It requires the reader to treat love as a concrete action that grounds and precedes miraculous intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
Cross-references
- John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
- 1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
- 1 John 4:9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
- Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
- Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
- John 14:21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
- 2 Corinthians 8:8 I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others.
- Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her
- John 21:15 When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”