John 11:11

After he said this, he added, ¹  “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. ²  But I am going there to awaken him.”

Ex 33:11; De 31:16; 2Ch 20:7; Isa 41:8; Da 12:2; Mt 9:24; Mr 5:39; Joh 3:29; Joh 5:25-29; Joh 11:13; Joh 11:43,44; Joh 15:13-15; Ac 7:60; 1Co 15:18,51; 1Co 15:34; Eph 5:14; 1Th 4:14,15; 1Th 5:10; Jas 2:23

¹ tn Grk “He said these things, and after this he said to them.”

² tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for death when speaking of believers. This metaphorical usage by its very nature emphasizes the hope of resurrection: Believers will one day “wake up” out of death. Here the term refers to death, but “asleep” was used in the translation to emphasize the metaphorical, rhetorical usage of the term, especially in light of the disciples’ confusion over what Jesus actually meant (see v. 13).