klaio - 'to weep audibly, to cry as a child'
κλαιω (John 11:35). Before we study this word and determine its significance we should first understand that the context before us concerns the death of a man named Lazarus in Bethany. Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha and all three were loved by Jesus (John 11:5). The sisters had sent word to Jesus informing Him as to the sickness of their brother (John 11:3) and Jesus had waited a couple of days, till after the death of Lazarus (John 11:6, 14) before He and His disciples returned to Judea in order to show the glory of God and His own glory by raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:4). Arriving four days after Lazarus had been in the tomb (John 11:17), Jesus was met by Martha (John 11:20-27) then Mary (John 11:31-33) who fell at his feet weeping audibly as a child. It was in this setting, as Jesus was walking to Lazarus tomb that the apostle John, who in his Gospel often asserts the deity of Jesus, now makes us acquainted with the profoundly human side of His life by penning the words "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). We have perhaps from childhood, visualized the Savior sobbing, weeping audibly with the grief-stricken sisters of Lazarus, and if so, we were wrong. The word "wept" is translated from the verb εδακρυσεν, third person singular aorist indicative active, of δακρυω (Strong's #1145), "to shed tears, weep silently."F1 In one event, we see both the divine nature of the Christ as the Son of God with the power to raise the dead, and the human nature of Jesus as the Son of Man who silently shed tears walking up to the tomb of His deceased friend whom He loved.
Another event recorded in the Scriptures which depicts Jesus weeping and illustrates to us both His humanity and divinity is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. The occasion is Jesus triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem one last time riding upon a colt where His glory as both King and Lord are portrayed (Luke 19:35-38). "Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it" (Luke 19:41). Luke records that Jesus "wept over" the city of Jerusalem as He warned the multitude gathered around that the rebellious city was going to be encompassed by its enemies and completely destroyed (Luke 19:41-44). He was prophesying of Israel's destruction by the Roman army in A.D. 70. Here, the word translated "wept" is εκλαυσεν, from κλαιω (Strong's #2799) "to weep audibly, to cry as a child."F2 In Bethany Jesus shed silent tears over the death of his loved friend; In Jerusalem, He sobbed audibly in bitter lamentation over the coming death of the disobedient nation of Israel as He looked upon the fallen and rebellious city. It is from the tears of Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man, weeping over God's children, both the faithful and the rebellious, that the love of God shines forth for all to see!
FOOTNOTES:
F1: Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (New York: American Book Company, 1889), pg, 347.
F2: Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (New York: American Book Company, 1889), pg, 347.
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Bill Klein has been a pastor, counselor, and educator for the past 41 years. He has had extensive training and education in biblical languages, and has authored a Biblical Greek course.
He is currently serving as Professor of Biblical Greek at Master's Graduate School of Divinity, and president of BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America, a non-profit organization located in California that provides Bible study tapes and Greek study materials through their website BTEMinistries.org.