John 11:42 (KJV)

Passage

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Nearby Context

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

John 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

John 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knew", "thou", "hearest", "always", "people", "stand", "said", and "believe". 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 "Then they took away the stone from..." into verse 43's "And when he thus had spoken he...", 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.