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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - John 11:22 - 11:22
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22. καὶ νῦν οἶδα. And even now (that he is dead) I know. She believes that had Christ been there, He could have healed Lazarus by His own power (comp. Joh 4:47), and that now His prayer may prevail with God to raise him from the dead. She has yet to learn that Christ’s bodily presence is not necessary, and that He can raise the dead by His own power. He gradually leads her faith onwards to higher truth. Θεός at the end of both clauses seems to emphasize her conviction that God alone can now help them: but it may be the repetition so common in S. John’s style.
αἰτήσῃ. Αἰτεῖσθαι ‘to ask for oneself’ (Joh 14:13-14, Joh 15:7; Joh 15:16, Joh 16:23; Joh 16:26; 1Jn 5:14-15), is a word more appropriate to merely human prayer, and is not used by Christ of His own prayers or by the Evangelists of Christ’s prayers. She thus incidentally seems to shew her imperfect idea of His relation to God. Of His own prayers Christ uses ἐρωτᾶν (Joh 14:16, Joh 16:26, Joh 17:9; Joh 17:15; Joh 17:20), δεῖσθαι (Luk 22:32), προσεύχεσθαι (Mat 26:36; Mar 14:32), θέλω (Joh 17:24). The Synoptists commonly use προσεύχεσθαι of Christ’s prayers (Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42; Mat 26:44; Mar 14:35; Mar 14:39; Luk 3:21; Luk 5:16; Luk 6:12; Luk 9:18; Luk 9:28-29; Luk 11:1; Luk 22:41; Luk 22:44): S. John never uses the word.