💫WEB · John 11:33
What does John 11:33 mean?
"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,"
— John 11:33 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.
Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
and said, “Where have you laid him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus wept.
The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!”
Explanation
John 11:33 sits in the middle of the story of Lazarus's death and resurrection. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, has come out to meet Jesus, falling at his feet and echoing her sister Martha's earlier words: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." She is weeping, and the Jewish mourners who traditionally accompanied grieving families are weeping loudly alongside her, as was customary in that culture. The verse tells us that when Jesus saw this collective grief, something happened within him—he "groaned in the spirit, and was troubled."
The Gospel of John was written by the apostle John, likely toward the end of the first century, to a community of believers and potential believers, with the explicit purpose "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (John 20:31). This particular episode, the raising of Lazarus, is the climactic sign in John's Gospel, the last and greatest of the miracles John records before Jesus's own death and resurrection. It takes place in Bethany, near Jerusalem, and sets in motion the events that lead to the crucifixion, since it is this very miracle that provokes the religious leaders to plot Jesus's death (John 11:45-53).
The Greek word translated "groaned" (embrimaomai) is a strong, visceral term, often associated with anger, deep indignation, or intense emotional agitation—not merely soft sorrow. Coupled with "troubled" (a word suggesting inner turmoil, even a stirring or disturbance of spirit), this
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.