John 11:42 (DBY)

Passage

but I knew that thou always hearest me; but on account of the crowd who stand around I have said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Nearby Context

John 11:40 Jesus says to her, Did I not say to thee, that if thou shouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:41 They took therefore the stone away. And Jesus lifted up his eyes on high and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me;

John 11:42 but I knew that thou always hearest me; but on account of the crowd who stand around I have said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 11:43 And having said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

John 11:44 And the dead came forth, bound feet and hands with graveclothes, and his face was bound round with a handkerchief. Jesus says to them, Loose him and let him go.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knew", "thou", "always", "hearest", "account", "crowd", "stand", and "around". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knew" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "They took therefore the stone away And..." into verse 43's "And having said this he cried with...", so "knew" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "knew" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.