SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:31
Entonces los judíos que estaban en casa con ella, y la consolaban, como vieron que María se había levantado prestamente, y había salido, la siguieron, diciendo: Va al sepulcro a llorar allí.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 11:31
Verse 31. She goeth unto the grave to weep there.] It appears that it was the custom for the nearest relatives of the deceased to go at times, during the three days of weeping, accompanied by their friends and neighbours, to mourn near the graves of the deceased. They supposed that the spirit hovered about the place where the body was laid for three days, to see whether it might be again permitted to enter, but, when it saw the face change, it knew that all hope was now past. It was on this ground that the seven days of lamentation succeeded the three days of weeping, because all hope was now taken away. They had traditions that, in the course of three days, persons who had died were raised again to life. See Lightfoot. Mr. Ward says: "I once saw some Mussulman women, near Calcutta, lying on the new-made grave of a relation, weeping bitterly. In this manner the Mussulman females weep and strew flowers over the graves of relations, at the expiration of four days, and forty days, after the interment."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 31. The Jews then which were with her in the house , etc.] Who came from Jerusalem to visit this afflicted family, and continued in the house with them and comforted her ; which was the end of their coming, ( John 11:19).
This they endeavoured to do, though they did not succeed: when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily, and went out, followed her ; they did not know what Martha whispered to her, but observed that she rose off her seat in great haste, and went out of the house at once; and therefore they went after to see where she went, and to persuade her to return; saying , within themselves; thinking, as all the Oriental versions seem to read, she goeth unto the grave to weep there : the Jews were wont to go to the graves on different accounts; one was to see whether the persons were dead or not: for so it is said f498 , they go to the graves and visit until three days.
It happened that they visited one, and he lived five and twenty years, and after that died: and another was on a religious account; such went to the graves of the prophets, wise men, and righteous, and prostrated themselves upon them, to pray with weeping and supplication, and seek mercy for themselves, and for their brethren, expressing their faith in the resurrection f499 . Dr. Pocock has given a large form of prayer used by them at such times, from Solomon bar Nathan; and is as follows: let it be the will of the Lord our God, our Creator, our Holy One, the Holy One of Jacob, who hath created all the children of his covenant in judgment, and causes them to die in judgment, and will raise them again to the life of the world to come, who knows the number of them all; that he would hasten to awake our master and doctor, (such an one,) that holy, (or that righteous, or that wise doctor,) whose body dwells in this sepulchre, whose bones rest in the midst of these stones; and that he would quicken him with that eternal life which no death follows; with that life which swallows up all death, and which wipes away all tears, and takes away all reproach; together with all those who are written unto life in Jerusalem; with the seven shepherds, and eight principal men, who are spoken of in ( Micah 5:5), and give him a part with them that understand, and with them that justify many, who will be like the stars for ever and ever; and the whole residue of the people of the Lord, the house of Israel, who keep the covenant of our God, and do his pleasure, may the Lord our God shake all these out of their dust, and let their lot, and our lot, be in life, in everlasting life, that in it he may establish all, both great and small, according to what is written, ( Psalm 72:16): there shall be an handful of corn, etc. and confirm the assurance he gave by Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, ( Isaiah 26:19): thy dead men shall live, etc. and as he promised to Daniel, a man of desires, ( Daniel 12:13): but go thou thy way till the end be, etc. and as he promised to all the congregations of Israel, by his servant Ezekiel, the son of Buzi the priest, ( Ezekiel 37:12): therefore prophesy and say to them, etc. that the saints may rejoice with glory, and sing upon their beds, and that the righteous may rejoice, and exult before God, and be glad in his salvation, and say in that day, behold this is our God, we have waited for him, etc. ( Isaiah 25:9); and we will bless the Lord from this time forth, and for ever, Hallelujah.
A shorter one, which is in their liturgies, and is used as they pass by the sepulchres of the Israelites, is this: blessed art thou, O Lord our God, who has formed you in judgment, and has quickened you in judgment, and has fed you in judgment, and knows the number of all of you, and he will quicken you, and restore you; blessed art thou, O Lord, that quickens the dead.
But sometimes they went only to vent their grief, and lament the loss of their deceased friends, which the Jews imagined was the case of Mary. And such a custom as this is used by the Turks, whose women on Friday, which is their day of worship, go before sun rising to the graves of the deceased, which are without the city, where they mourn over the death of their friends, and sprinkle their monuments with water and flowers; and even such as are not at the funeral or interment of the dead, after some days, will go to the graves, and make their lamentations there, and inquire of the dead the reason of their departure, and, as it were, expostulate with them, and to their lamentations add oblations of loaves, cheeses, eggs, and flesh f501 . The Persians also visit the sepulchres of their principal Imams, or prelates f502 ; and the Jews were wont to visit the graves of their great men, in honour to them; yea, the disciples of the wise men used to meet there to study the law, thereby showing respect, and doing honour to the deceased.
It is said of Hezekiah, ( 2 Chronicles 32:33): that all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, did him honour at his death; from whence say the Talmudists we learn, that they fixed a sitting or a school at his grave; the gloss is, a session (or school) of the wise men to study in the law there. So says Maimonides f504 , when a king dies they make a sitting at his grave seven days, as it is said, ( 2 Chronicles 32:33): they did him honour at his death; that is, they made a sitting at his grave.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 17-32 - Here was a house where the fear of God was, and on which his blessin rested; yet it was made a house of mourning. Grace will keep sorro from the heart, but not from the house. When God, by his grace an providence, is coming towards us in ways of mercy and comfort, we should, like Martha, go forth by faith, hope, and prayer, to meet him When Martha went to meet Jesus, Mary sat still in the house; thi temper formerly had been an advantage to her, when it put her a Christ's feet to hear his word; but in the day of affliction, the sam temper disposed her to melancholy. It is our wisdom to watch agains the temptations, and to make use of the advantages of our natura tempers. When we know not what in particular to ask or expect, let u refer ourselves to God; let him do as seemeth him good. To enlarg Martha's expectations, our Lord declared himself to be the Resurrectio and the Life. In every sense he is the Resurrection; the source, the substance, the first-fruits, the cause of it. The redeemed soul live after death in happiness; and after the resurrection, both body an soul are kept from all evil for ever. When we have read or heard the word of Christ, about the great things of the other world, we shoul put it to ourselves, Do we believe this truth? The crosses and comfort of this present time would not make such a deep impression upon us a they do, if we believed the things of eternity as we ought. When Chris our Master comes, he calls for us. He comes in his word and ordinances and calls us to them, calls us by them, calls us to himself. Those who in a day of peace, set themselves at Christ's feet to be taught by him may with comfort, in a day of trouble, cast themselves at his feet, to find favour with him.
Greek Textus Receptus
οι 3588 T-NPM ουν 3767 CONJ ιουδαιοι 2453 A-NPM οι 3588 T-NPM οντες 5607 5752 V-PXP-NPM μετ 3326 PREP αυτης 846 P-GSF εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF οικια 3614 N-DSF και 2532 CONJ παραμυθουμενοι 3888 5740 V-PNP-NPM αυτην 846 P-ASF ιδοντες 1492 5631 V-2AAP-NPM την 3588 T-ASF μαριαν 3137 N-ASF οτι 3754 CONJ ταχεως 5030 ADV ανεστη 450 5627 V-2AAI-3S και 2532 CONJ εξηλθεν 1831 5627 V-2AAI-3S ηκολουθησαν 190 5656 V-AAI-3P αυτη 846 P-DSF λεγοντες 3004 5723 V-PAP-NPM οτι 3754 CONJ υπαγει 5217 5719 V-PAI-3S εις 1519 PREP το 3588 T-ASN μνημειον 3419 N-ASN ινα 2443 CONJ κλαυση 2799 5661 V-AAS-3S εκει 1563 ADV
Vincent's NT Word Studies
31. Saying (legontev). The best texts read doxantev, supposing. So Rev. She goeth (upagei). Withdraweth from our company. See on vi. 21; viii. 21.To weep (ina klaush). Rev., in margin, wail. The word means loud weeping. See Matt. ii. 18; Mark v. 38; and on Luke vi. 21; vii. 32.
