John 11:55

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, many Jews went up to Jerusalem from other places in the country. They went there to perform the rituals to make themselves acceptable to God before the Passover celebration started.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.

In Context

54Because of that, Jesus no longer traveled around publicly among the Jewish people. Instead, he left Jerusalem, along with us disciples, and went to a village called Ephraim, in an area near the desolate region. We stayed there for a while.

56The Jewish chief priests and Pharisees issued an order that if anyone found out where Jesus was, that person should report it to them, in order that they could seize him. So the people thought that Jesus would probably not dare to come to the celebration. But they kept looking for him, and as they were standing in the Temple courtyard they were saying to each other, “What do you think? He will not come to the celebration, will he?”

Read all of John 11

Cross References

Genesis 35:2So Jacob said to his household and to all the others who were with him, “Get rid of the idols you brought from Mesopotamia. Also, bathe yourselves and put on clean clothes.

Exodus 19:10Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Go back down to the people again. Tell them to purify themselves today and tomorrow. Tell them to wash their clothes, too.

Numbers 9:6But some of the Israeli people had touched a corpse, and as a result they had become unfit to celebrate the Passover. So they asked Aaron and Moses/me,

2 Chronicles 30:17Many people in the crowd had not purified themselves, and therefore they were not able to kill the lambs and dedicate them to Yahweh. So it was necessary for the descendants of Levi to kill the lambs for them.

Nehemiah 8:1Ezra, who taught people the laws of Moses, had a scroll on which the laws of Moses were written. Those were the laws that Yahweh had commanded the Israeli people to obey. On October 8 of that year, all the people gathered together in the plaza/square that was close to the Water Gate. Men and women and children who were old enough to understand gathered together. Someone told Ezra to bring out that scroll.

Psalms 26:6Yahweh, I wash my hands to show that I ◄am innocent/have not done what was wrong►. As I join with others marching around your altar,

Matthew Henry on John 11:46-57

The Consultation of the Pharisees; The Prophecy of Caiaphas; A Conspiracy against Christ. 45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our… Read the whole commentary →

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