Ecolampadius and Musculus think that the unbelieving, sneering remark of the Jews in the preceding Terse is the reason why our Lord " again groaned." Bullinger thinks that the renewed emotion of our Lord was simply occasioned by the sight of the grave.
{It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.'] Graves among the Jews seem to have been of three kinds. (1) Sometimes, but rarely, they were holes dug down into the ground, like our own. (See Luke xi. 44.) (2) Most frequently they were caves hewn horizontally into the side of a rock, with a stone placed against the mouth. This was most probably the kind of new tomb in which our Lord was laid. (3) Sometimes they were caves in which there was a sloping, downward descent. This appears to have been the description of grave in which Lazarus was buried. It says distinctly that " a stone lay upon it."
No doubt these particulars are specified to supply incidental proof of the reality of Lazarus' death and burial.
89. — {Jesus said, Take ye away the stone.] The expression here conveys the idea of " lifting up " to take away. It is the same word that is rendered " lifted up " in 41st verse.
The use of this word greatly strengthens the idea that the grave was a descending cave, and not a horizontal one. When our Lord rose again, the stone was " rolled away from the door," and not lifted up. (Matt, xxviii. 2.)
By calling on the crowd of attendants to take away the stone, our Lord effected two things. Firstly, He impressed on the mind of all engaged the reality and truth of the miracle He was about to perform. Every one who lent a hand to lift the huge stone and remove it would remember it, and become a witness. He would be able to say, " I myself helped to lift up the stone. I myself am sure there was no imposture. There was a dead body inside the grave." In fact, we cannot doubt that the smell rising from the bottom of the cave would tell any one who helped to lift the stone what there was there. — Secondly, our Lord teaches us the simple lesson that He would have man do what he can. Man cannot raise the soul, and give life, but he can often remove the stone.
Flacius points out the likeness between this command and the command at Cana to fill the water-pots with water. (John ii. 7.)
That the stones placed at the mouth of graves in Palestine were very large, and not easily moved, we may see from Mark xvi. 3.
{Martha, the sister of him, etc., etc.] This is a remarkable sentence, and teaches several important tk'ngs.
(a) It certifies, for the last time, the reality of Lazarus' death. He was not in a swoon or a trance. His own sister, who had doubtless seen him die, and closed his eyes, declares before