John 11:12

New Century Version

The followers said, "But Lord, if he is only asleep, he will be all right."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”

King James Version (1611)
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleepe, he shall doe well.

King James Version
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

English Standard Version
The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

New American Standard Bible
The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will come out of it."

Amplified Bible
The disciples answered, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

Legacy Standard Bible
The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be saved from his sickness."

Berean Standard Bible
His disciples replied, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better."

Contemporary English Version
They replied, "Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better."

Complete Jewish Bible
The talmidim said to him, "Lord, if he has gone to sleep, he will get better."

Darby Translation
The disciples therefore said to him, Lord, if he be fallen asleep, he will get well.

Easy-to-Read Version
The followers answered, "But, Lord, if he can sleep, he will get well."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleepe, he shalbe safe.

George Lamsa Translation
His disciples said to him, Our Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well.

Good News Translation
The disciples answered, "If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well."

Lexham English Bible
So the disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well."

Literal Translation
Then His disciples said, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.

American Standard Version
The disciples therefore said unto him, Lord, if he is fallen asleep, he will recover.

Bible in Basic English
Then his disciples said to him, Lord, if he is resting he will get well.

Hebrew Names Version
The talmidim therefore said, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

International Standard Version
So the disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well."

Etheridge Translation
His disciples say to him, Our Lord, if he sleep [fn] he is healed.

Murdock Translation
His disciples say to him: Our Lord, if he sleepeth, he is recovering.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde his disciples: Lorde, yf he slepe, he shall do well inough.

English Revised Version
The disciples therefore said unto him, Lord, if he is fallen asleep, he will recover.

World English Bible
The disciples therefore said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then the disciples said, Lord, if he sleep, he will recover.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Master," said the disciples, "if he is asleep he will recover."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor hise disciplis seiden, Lord, if he slepith, he schal be saaf.

Update Bible Version
The disciples therefore said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleepeth he will do well.

New English Translation
Then the disciples replied, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

New King James Version
Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."

New Living Translation
The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!"

New Life Bible
The followers said to Him, "If he is sleeping, he will get well."

New Revised Standard
The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The disciples, therefore, said unto him - Lord! if he have fallen asleep, he will recover.

Douay-Rheims Bible
His disciples therefore said: Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

Revised Standard Version
The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then sayde his disciples: Lorde yf he slepe he shall do well ynough.

Young's Literal Translation
therefore said his disciples, `Sir, if he hath fallen asleep, he will be saved;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde his disciples: LORDE, yf he slepe, he shal do well ynough

Mace New Testament (1729)
then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he will recover;

THE MESSAGE
The disciples said, "Master, if he's gone to sleep, he'll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine." Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The cowboys looked at each other in confusion and said, "If he's asleep now, he'll probably be awake by the time we get there."

Contextual Overview

¹ A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany, where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ² Mary was the woman who later put perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Mary's brother was Lazarus, the man who was now sick. ³ So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." ⁴ When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God, to bring glory to the Son of God." ⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ But when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. ⁷ Then Jesus said to his followers, "Let's go back to Judea." ⁸ The followers said, "But Teacher, some people there tried to stone you to death only a short time ago. Now you want to go back there?" ⁹ Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble, because he can see by this world's light. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because there is no light to help him see."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Luke 3:36
Shelah was the son of Cainan. Cainan was the son of Arphaxad. Arphaxad was the son of Shem. Shem was the son of Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep,.... Soundly, quietly, and comfortably, and takes rest in it:

he shall do well; or "be saved" from the disease; he will be delivered from it; he will recover out of it; it is a sign the distemper is leaving him, and he is growing better, and will be restored to his health again: the Ethiopic version renders it by many words, "he will be well", and "will awake", and "will live". Sound sleep is a sign of health. This they said to, put off their master from going into Judea, fearing the danger he would be exposed unto.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If the sleep, he shall do well - Sleep was regarded by the Jews, in sickness, as a favorable symptom; hence it was said among them, “Sleep in sickness is a sign of recovery, because it shows that the violence of the disease has abated” (Lightfoot). This seems to have been the meaning of the disciples. They intimated that if he had this symptom, there was no need of his going into Judea to restore him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 11:12. If he sleep, he shall do well. — That is, if he sleep only, c. Though the word sleep frequently meant death, (see Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Corinthians 15:18, 1 Corinthians 15:20), yet, as it was an ambiguous term, the disciples appear here to have mistaken its meaning. Because, in certain acute disorders, the composing the patient to rest was a favourable sign; therefore the words, If he sleep, he shall do well, or recover, became a proverbial forth of speech among the Jews. In most diseases, sleep is a very favourable prognostic: hence that saying of Menander: -

Ὑπνος δε πασης εϚιν ὑγιεια νοσου.

Sleep is a remedy for every disease.

See Grotius here. The meaning of the disciples seems to have been this: There can be no need for thee to go into Judea to awake our friend Lazarus; he will awake time enough, and his very sleep is a presage of his recovery: therefore do not hazard thy life by going.