John 11:7

Ver. 7. The δέ which should answer to the μέν of John 11:6 is omitted, as often in Greek, because the opposition which the μέν had in view gives place to the simple historical succession; see Weiss. The expression ἔπειτα μετὰ τοῦτο, literally: afterwards, after that, John 11:7, is not a pleonasm; it tells how long this waiting appeared both to the sisters and to Jesus Himself. It must be noticed that Jesus did not say: “Let us go to Bethany,” but “Let us go into Judea. ” It is an allusion to the peril which threatens Him in that country; by it He calls forth on the part of His disciples the expression of the feeling of apprehension which He knows to be in the depths-of their hearts and which He wishes to overcome before starting on the journey. It is with the same purpose that He adds the word πάλιν, again, which reminds them of the dangers which He had just incurred during His last sojourn in Jerusalem. Meyer protests in vain against this intention; it appears clearly from the narrative.