The Meaning of John 11:54 Explained

John 11:54

KJV: Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

YLT: Jesus, therefore, was no more freely walking among the Jews, but went away thence to the region nigh the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there he tarried with his disciples.

Darby: Jesus therefore walked no longer openly among the Jews, but went away thence into the country near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, and there he sojourned with the disciples.

ASV: Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there he tarried with the disciples.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Jesus  therefore  walked  no more  openly  among  the Jews;  but  went  thence  unto  a country  near  to the wilderness,  into  a city  called  Ephraim,  and there  continued  with  his  disciples. 

What does John 11:54 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus may have learned of the Sanhedrin"s decision from a sympathetic member such as Nicodemus. He withdrew to a private place and no longer ministered publicly. The town of Ephraim may have been Old Testament Ephron about four miles northeast of Bethel and twelve miles from Jerusalem ( 2 Chronicles 13:19). However, this location would not have removed Him very far from Jerusalem. The only two wildernesses mentioned in the Gospels are the wilderness of Judea, south and east of Jerusalem, and the wilderness north of Perea, where John baptized. The second of these two sites seems to be the more probably place of Jesus" retreat. [1]

Context Summary

John 11:45-57 - The Innocent For The Guilty
The friends of the family who had come to lament with them, were disposed toward Jesus and believed; but the mere spectators hastened with the news, to inflame the hatred of the Pharisees. The Romans dreaded the power acquired by permanent office, and often exchanged one high priest for another. Hence the expression, being high priest that year. By his vote Caiaphas may be said to have appointed and sacrificed his victim, who in that memorable year was to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. See Daniel 9:24; Daniel 9:27.
Caiaphas professed to fear that Jesus would presently gain such an ascendency over the people as to lead a revolt against Rome, which would cause a deluge of blood in which the whole nation would perish. Therefore he recommended that they should compass the death of Jesus. But, as the evangelist puts it, he spoke more widely and truly than he knew, because the death of Jesus is gathering into one the children of God who are scattered abroad-that is, the heathen who were living up to their light, as in John 10:16 -that of the twain He might make one new man. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 11

1  Jesus raises Lazarus, four days buried
45  Many Jews believe
47  The high priests and Pharisees gather a council against Jesus
49  Caiaphas prophesies
54  Jesus hides himself
55  At the Passover they enquire after him, and lay wait for him

Greek Commentary for John 11:54

Therefore walked no more openly [ουν ουκετι παρρησιαι περιεπατει]
Imperfect active of περιπατεω — peripateō to walk around. Jesus saw clearly that to do so would bring on the end now instead of his “hour” which was to be at the passover a month ahead. Into the country near to the wilderness It was now in Jerusalem as it had become once in Galilee (John 7:1) because of the plots of the hostile Jews. The hill country northeast of Jerusalem was thinly populated. Into a city called Ephraim Πολις — Polis here means no more than town or village The place is not certainly known, not mentioned elsewhere in the N.T. Josephus mentions (War, IV. ix. 9) a small fort near Bethel in the hill country and in 2 Chronicles 13:19 Ephron is named in connexion with Bethel. Up here Jesus would at least be free for the moment from the machinations of the Sanhedrin while he faced the coming catastrophe at the passover. He is not far from the mount of temptation where the devil showed and offered him the kingdoms of the world for the bending of the knee before him. Is it mere fancy to imagine that the devil came to see Jesus again here at this juncture with a reminder of his previous offer and of the present plight of the Son of God with the religious leaders conspiring his death? At any rate Jesus has the fellowship of his disciples this time But what were they thinking? [source]
Wilderness []
The wild hill-country, northeast of Jerusalem. [source]
Ephraim []
The site is uncertain. Commonly taken as Ophrah (1 Samuel 13:17), or Ephraim (2 Chronicles 13:19), and identified with el-Taiyibeh, sixteen miles from Jerusalem, and situated on a hill which commands the Jordan valley. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 11:54

Matthew 19:1 The borders of Judea beyond Jordan [εις τα ορια της Ιουδαιας περαν του Ιορδανου]
This is a curious expression. It apparently means that Jesus left Galilee to go to Judea by way of Perea as the Galileans often did to avoid Samaria. Luke (Luke 17:11) expressly says that he passed through Samaria and Galilee when he left Ephraim in Northern Judea (John 11:54). He was not afraid to pass through the edge of Galilee and down the Jordan Valley in Perea on this last journey to Jerusalem. McNeile is needlessly opposed to the trans-Jordanic or Perean aspect of this phase of Christ‘s work. [source]
Mark 10:1 Into the border of Judea and beyond Jordan [eis ta horia tēs Ioudaias kai peran tou Iordanou)]
See note on Matthew 19:1 for discussion of this curious expression. Matthew adds “from Galilee” and Luke 17:11 says that Jesus “was passing through the midst of Samaria and Galilee” after leaving Ephraim (John 11:54). A great deal has intervened between the events at the close of Mark 9 and those in the beginning of Mark 10. For these events See Matthew 18; John 7-11; Luke 9:57-18:14 (one-third of Luke‘s Gospel comes in here). It was a little over six months to the end at the close of Mark 9. It is just a few weeks now in Mark 10. Jesus has begun his last journey to Jerusalem going north through Samaria, Galilee, across the Jordan into Perea, and back into Judea near Jericho to go up with the passover pilgrims from Galilee. [source]
Luke 17:11 Through the midst of Samaria and Galilee [δια μεσον Σαμαριας και Γαλιλαιας]
This is the only instance in the N.T. of δια — dia with the accusative in the local sense of “through.” Xenophon and Plato use δια μεσου — dia mesou (genitive). Jesus was going from Ephraim (John 11:54) north through the midst of Samaria and Galilee so as to cross over the Jordan near Bethshean and join the Galilean caravan down through Perea to Jerusalem. The Samaritans did not object to people going north away from Jerusalem, but did not like to see them going south towards the city (Luke 9:51-56). [source]
John 7:13 Openly [παῤῥησίᾳ]
The word may mean either without reserve (John 10:24; John 11:14), or without fear (John 11:54). [source]
John 4:5 City []
Not implying a place of great size or importance. Compare John 11:54; Matthew 2:23. [source]
John 7:13 Howbeit [μεντοι]
See John 4:27 for this compound particle Imperfect active of ουδεις παρρησιαι — laleō “was speaking,” picturing the whispering or secret talk (no man openly, εν — oudeis parrēsiāi). Best MSS. do not have παρρησιαι — en here with εν — parrēsiāi (locative or instrumental case of manner) as in John 7:26; John 10:24; John 11:54, but παρρησιαι — en genuine in John 7:4; Colossians 2:15. This adverbial use of δια τον ποβον των Ιουδαιων — parrēsiāi is common enough (Mark 8:37). For fear of the Jews (dia ton phobon tōn Ioudaiōn). Objective genitive. The crowds really feared the Jewish leaders and evidently did not wish to involve Jesus or themselves. See the same phrase and attitude on the part of the disciples in John 19:38; John 20:19. [source]

What do the individual words in John 11:54 mean?

- Therefore Jesus no longer publicly walked among the Jews but went away from there into the region near the wilderness to Ephraim called a city And there He stayed with the disciples
οὖν Ἰησοῦς οὐκέτι παρρησίᾳ περιεπάτει ἐν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἀλλὰ ἀπῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐρήμου εἰς Ἐφραὶμ λεγομένην πόλιν κἀκεῖ ἔμεινεν μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
οὐκέτι  no  longer 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὐκέτι  
Sense: no longer, no more, no further.
παρρησίᾳ  publicly 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: παρρησία  
Sense: freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech.
περιεπάτει  walked 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: περιπατέω  
Sense: to walk.
Ἰουδαίοις  Jews 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: Ἰουδαῖος  
Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race.
ἀπῆλθεν  went  away 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.
ἐκεῖθεν  from  there 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἐκεῖθεν  
Sense: thence, from that place.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
χώραν  region 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: χώρα  
Sense: the space lying between two places or limits.
ἐγγὺς  near 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐγγύς  
Sense: near, of place and position.
ἐρήμου  wilderness 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἔρημος  
Sense: solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited.
Ἐφραὶμ  Ephraim 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἐφραίμ  
Sense: a city about a short day’s journey from Jerusalem.
λεγομένην  called 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
πόλιν  a  city 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
κἀκεῖ  And  there 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: κἀκεῖ  
Sense: and there.
ἔμεινεν  He  stayed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μένω  
Sense: to remain, abide.
μαθητῶν  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.