John Chapter 11 verse 13 Holy Bible
Now Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spake of taking rest in sleep.
read chapter 11 in ASV
Jesus, however, was talking of his death: but they had the idea that he was talking about taking rest in sleep.
read chapter 11 in BBE
But Jesus spoke of his death, but *they* thought that he spoke of the rest of sleep.
read chapter 11 in DARBY
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
read chapter 11 in KJV
read chapter 11 in WBT
Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep.
read chapter 11 in WEB
but Jesus had spoken about his death, but they thought that about the repose of sleep he speaketh.
read chapter 11 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 13. - Now Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spake of taking rest in sleep. Λέγει, though in the present tense, represents a time anterior to the time of ἔδοξαν. Κοίμησις is found in Ecclus. 46:19. This is an explanation of the misunderstanding, occasioned, perhaps, by the statement of ver. 4, and further elucidated by what follows. A difference prevails between κοίμησις and ὕπνος as both words are used for sleep; but the former has rather the idea of the repose accompanying sleep, the latter the phenomenon itself. With one or two exceptions, κοιμᾶσθαι is always used in the New Testament of the sleep of death, ὑπνός never.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(13) They thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.--These words forbid the thought that they really understood that Lazarus was dead, but did not wish to seem to know it. Three of them, indeed, had heard our Lord apply the word "sleep" to death before (Matthew 9:24), but this instance of misunderstanding on their part takes its place with others of a like kind, as showing that the surface meaning of words was that which naturally suggested itself to them. (Comp. Matthew 16:6-12, and Luke 22:38) It is not likely that all "the three" were present during this interview. If it took place at Tellanihje, then the nearness of Bethsaida and the other towns of Galilee may have led some of the Twelve to visit their old homes. (Comp. John 1:28; John 1:48 et seq.) We can hardly imagine that Peter was present without taking a prominent part in the conversation, or that Thomas would have been in his presence the representative speaker (John 11:16). His absence may be taken as one of the reasons why the account of the miracle which follows is absent from St. Mark's Gospel, which is, like St. John's, the Gospel of an eye-witness. (Comp. Introduction to St. Mark, p. 189, and Excursus E: The Omission of the Raising of Lazarus, in the Synoptic Gospels.) . . .
