John 12:1

1. Omit ὁ τεθνηκώς after Λάζαρος, with אBLX against ADIa.

1. ὁ οὖν Ἰ. The οὖν simply resumes the narrative from the point where it quitted Jesus. John 11:55. This is better than to make it depend on John 11:57, as if He went to Bethany to avoid His enemies. His hour is drawing near, and therefore He draws near to the appointed scene of His sufferings.

πρὸ ἓξ ἡμ. τοῦ π. The Passover began at sunset on Nisan 14: six days before this would bring us to Nisan 8, which day, Josephus states, pilgrims often chose for arriving at Jerusalem. Assuming the year to be A.D. 30, Nisan 8 would be Friday, March 31. We may suppose, therefore, that Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethany on the Friday evening a little after the Sabbath had commenced, having performed not more than ‘a Sabbath-day’s journey’ on the Sabbath, the bulk of the journey being over before the day of rest began. But it must be remembered that this chronology is tentative, not certain. For the construction see on John 11:18 and comp. John 21:8 and πρὸ δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ (Amos 1:1): πρὸ μιᾶς ἡμέρας τῆς Μαρδοχαικῆς ἡμέρας (2Ma 15:36). Here also the preposition seems to have been transposed; we should expect ἔξ ἡμέρας πρὸ τοῦ π. Perhaps S. John wishes to contrast this last week with the first; see on John 2:1.

ὅν ἤγ. ἐκ ν. Ἰ. This descriptive phrase may have become a common designation of Lazarus (John 12:9): comp. ὁ͂ν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰ. (John 13:23; John 19:26; John 21:7; John 21:20).