And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Lazarus.
1 Kings 17:21,22 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again…
2 Kings 4:33-36 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD…
Mark 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
He called out in a loud voice
The loud voice signifies authority and command, reminiscent of God's creative power in Genesis where He speaks creation into existence. This act is public, ensuring that witnesses can attest to the miracle. The loud voice also contrasts with the typical quietness associated with death, emphasizing the life-giving power of Jesus' words. This moment is a direct challenge to the finality of death, a theme prevalent throughout the Bible.
“Lazarus, come out!”
The specific calling of Lazarus by name underscores the personal nature of Jesus' miracles and His intimate knowledge of individuals. This command is a direct act of resurrection, prefiguring the final resurrection at the end of times as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Lazarus' emergence from the tomb is a type of Christ's own resurrection, illustrating Jesus as the source of life and victory over death. This miracle serves as a sign pointing to Jesus' divine mission and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah's power over life and death.
Jesus has just prayed aloud, thanking the Father for always hearing Him (John 11:41-42).
• The public prayer reveals His oneness with the Father, underscoring that the coming miracle is God’s work (John 5:19-21).
• It also strengthens the faith of the crowd, much as Elijah prayed before fire fell on Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-37).
• Because Scripture is historically reliable, we take these words as an actual event, not symbolism.
• Christ models confident trust: His prayer is brief yet expectant, echoing His prior assurance that whatever He asks, the Father grants (John 11:22; John 17:1-2).
Jesus does not whisper; He commands with authority.
• The volume is purposeful—signaling divine power and fulfilling His own prophecy: “a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice” (John 5:28-29).
• It points ahead to the final resurrection, when “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
• The loud cry pierces the sorrowful silence around the tomb, much as His voice once stilled the storm (Mark 4:39) and expelled demons (Mark 1:25-26).
• By speaking audibly, He removes any doubt that the miracle is the direct result of His word (Psalm 33:9).
A simple, personal command.
• Naming Lazarus prevents a universal resurrection—only this friend is summoned, demonstrating precise sovereignty (John 10:3).
• The imperative “come out” shows life-giving authority akin to “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” (Mark 5:41) and “Young man, I tell you, get up!” (Luke 7:14).
• At once, decay reverses and life returns, affirming Jesus as “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
• This miracle validates His claim that those who believe will never truly die (John 8:51) and foreshadows His own empty tomb (John 20:6-8).
• It also previews the new birth every believer experiences when called “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 2:4-6).
John 11:43 records an historical, literal moment when Jesus publicly prayed, then loudly commanded a dead man to rise. Each phrase highlights His unity with the Father, His supreme authority over death, and His power to call individuals into life. This same voice will one day summon every believer from the grave, guaranteeing hope and assuring us that His word still brings life wherever it is heard and obeyed.
(43) He cried with a loud voice.--Comp. John 5:25; John 5:28, and Notes there. These verses lead to the opinion that it was at the moment of the cry, and not before, as some have thought, that life returned. This is the only passage where the word rendered "cried" is used of our Lord. (Comp. Matthew 12:19.) It occurs again in this Gospel in John 12:13; John 18:40; John 19:6; John 19:12; John 19:15. . . . Verse 43. - And when he had thus spoken, he cried with loud voice. Ἐκραύγασε is used of the shout of a multitude (John 12:13, R.T.; John 18:40; 19:6, 15), and implies the loud, imperative command to Death to give up his prey, and relinquish the grasp which had, in answer to his prayer, been already relaxed. The loud voice keeps up the image that death is a deep sleep. The critical moment in Christ's own career has arrived, when, having pledged the rather to this manifestation of his own glory, he was prepared to take this final step, however perilous to himself; one which would finally demonstrate whether he was sent from God, or was merely boasting a power he did not possess (cf. Elijah and the priests of Baal, 1 Kings 18.). Observe the loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! or, (Hither, out!); or, Veni foras! (Origen, Chrysostom, Lampe, suggest that the awakening from death had already taken place. Meyer and Alford condemn this. It seems to me that this supposition. somewhat modified as above, throws light upon vers. 41, 42.) The words themselves are applicable to a grave from which the stone door had been removed. Weiss has made some admirable remarks on the use made by the Tübingen critics of this admission. In many cases in which such miracles took place the soul had obviously not left the body, but yet the entire surroundings here imply that, apart from miraculous energy, resuscitation was absolutely un-looked for. Even Strauss refuses utterly the trance hypothesis, and Renan has renounced the farcical drama that he thought at one time might account for the event and its record.