"Jesus wept" (, ) is a phrase famous for being the shortest verse in the King James Version of the Bible, as well as in many other translations. It is not the shortest in the original languages. The phrase is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 11, verse 35. Verse breaks â or versification â were introduced into the Greek text by Robert Estienne in 1551 in order to make the texts easier to cite and compare.
This verse occurs in John's narrative of the death of Lazarus of Bethany, a follower of Jesus. Lazarus's sistersâÂÂMary and MarthaâÂÂsent word to Jesus of their brother's illness and impending death, but Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus died. Jesus, after talking to the grieving sisters and seeing Lazarus's friends weeping, was deeply troubled and moved. After asking where Lazarus had been laid and being invited to come see him, Jesus wept. He then went to the tomb and told the people to remove the stone covering it, prayed aloud to his Father, and ordered Lazarus to come out, resurrected.
The Gospel of Luke also records that Jesus wept as he entered Jerusalem before his trial and death, anticipating the destruction of the Temple.
Significance has been attributed to Jesus's deep emotional response to his friends' weeping, and his own tears, including the following:
Jesus's tears have figured among the relics attributed to Jesus.
In some parts of the English-speaking world, including Great Britain, Ireland (particularly Dublin and Belfast) and Australia, the phrase "Jesus wept" is an expletive some people use when something goes wrong or to express incredulity. In Christianity, this usage is considered blasphemous and offensive by the devout, as it is seen as violating the second or third of the Ten Commandments.