of groaned in the spirit (ver. 33) and of groaning in Hi imself in the next verse. But the words may have been spoken sin- cerely.
38. Lay upon (ézéxevto). This would be the meaning if the tomb were a vertical pit; but if hollowed horizontally into the rock, it may mean lay against. The traditional tomb of Lazarus is of the former kind, being descended into by a ladder.
Take ye away. The stone was placed over the entrance mainly to guard against wild beasts, and could easily be re- moved.
The sister of him that was dead. An apparently super- fluous detail, but added in order to give point to her remon- strance at the removal of the stone, by emphasizing the natural reluctance of a sister to have the corrupted body of her brother exposed.
Stinketh (de). Only here in the New Testament. Not indicating an experience of her sense, which has been main- tained by some expositors, and sometimes expressed in the pictorial treatment of the subject,* but merely her inference from the fact that he had been dead four days.
He hath been dead four days (reraptaios éotw). A peculiar Greek idiom. He 7s a fourth-day man. So Acts Xxvili. 18, after one day: lit., being second-day men. The common Jewish idea was that the soul hovered about the body until the third day, when corruption began, and it took its flight.
41. From the place where the dead was laid. Omit.
42. The people (rov dyAov). In view of the distinction which John habitually makes between the Jews and the multi- tude, the use of the latter term here is noticeable, since Jews
*As by Fra Angelico (Florence), Bonifazio (Louvre), and the superb picture by Sebastian del Piombo in the National Gallery, London.