What is the shortest verse in the Bible?

The Shortest Verse

Two Words That Reveal the Heart of Christ

Jesus wept.

John 11:35 (NIV)

It captures the real sorrow of the Son of God at the grave of His friend Lazarus.

John 11:35 stands as the shortest verse across modern English translations, declaring simply and memorably: "Jesus wept." In its brevity lies immense theological power. The Creator of the universe, who had already declared Himself to be the resurrection and the life, openly shared the raw anguish of human bereavement at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. While English readers readily identify this verse by its two words and nine letters, the manuscripts of original biblical languages offer other intriguing points of comparison. In the original Greek of the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (Pántote chaírete, translated "Rejoice always") takes the honor of being the shortest verse, spanning only fourteen letters compared to the sixteen letters of John 11:35. Turning to the original Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament, Job 3:2 constitutes the shortest verse (Wayyo’mar, "And he said"), consisting of merely three Hebrew letters that introduce Job's raw outcry after his crushing losses. Across every language, whether measuring letters or syllables, the Scriptures demonstrate that God's inspired Word delivers profound truth through the simplest speech.

The Incarnate Savior

The Deep Humanity and Grief of the Lord

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

John 11:33 (NIV)

It shows that Christ was deeply moved and troubled in spirit before shedding tears.

Before Jesus shed a tear, John 11:33 reveals that He was deeply moved in spirit and greatly troubled as He observed Mary and the surrounding mourners weeping. The Greek verb conveys an intense, indignant groan—an internal agitation sparked by confronting the bitter intrusion of sin, death, and human heartbreak into God's good creation. Observing His visible distress, bystanders noted in John 11:36, "See how he loved him!" Christ's sorrow was neither performative nor stoic; it was the authentic grief of divine love wrapped in true human flesh. This profound reality anchors Christian comfort. As the author of Hebrews declares in Hebrews 4:15, believers do not possess a remote high priest unable to sympathize with human weaknesses, but one who was tested in every way yet remained without sin. During His earthly life, as noted in Hebrews 5:7, Jesus offered up fervent prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the One able to save Him from death. Christ knows the visceral ache of human mortality firsthand, standing as our perfect, compassionate advocate before the Father.

A Man of Sorrows

Prophetic Sorrow and the Promise of Comfort

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Isaiah 53:3 (NIV)

It foretells the Messiah as one uniquely acquainted with human grief and sorrow.

Long before the incarnation, Isaiah 53:3 prophesied that the Messiah would be "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." This prophetic portrait found its literal realization when Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb in John 11:35 and later in Gethsemane in Matthew 26:38, where His soul was sorrowful even unto death. Christ's tears also echoed the prophetic lamentation of Jeremiah; in Jeremiah 13:17, the prophet wept bitterly in secret over the impending judgment and captivity of the Lord's flock, a pattern fulfilled when Jesus approached Jerusalem in Luke 19:41 and wept over its spiritual blindness and coming devastation. The godly lament of Psalms 119:136, where shedding streams of tears over disobedience reflects holy brokenness, culminated in the righteous grief of the Redeemer. Yet Christ did not merely weep; He bore our griefs to abolish the reign of death forever. Because the Son of God entered into our tears and conquered the grave, Revelation 21:4 promises the final consummation when God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.

Where in the Bible

The story in order

1. Job grieves over suffering (c. 1450 BC) · Job 3:2 · Shortest verse in the Hebrew Old Testament.
2. Prophet weeps for his people (c. 600 BC) · Jeremiah 13:17 · Shows sorrow over disobedience and impending judgment.
3. Messiah is a man of sorrows (c. 700 BC) · Isaiah 53:3 · Prophesies the suffering servant's grief.
4. Psalmist weeps over lawlessness (c. 450 BC) · Psalms 119:136 · Expresses sorrow at people's disobedience.
5. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (c. AD 30) · Luke 19:41 · Jesus grieves over the city's future destruction.
6. Jesus weeps at Lazarus' tomb (c. AD 30) · John 11:35 · Shortest verse in English Bibles, showing Jesus' humanity.
7. Christ offers prayers with tears (c. AD 60) · Hebrews 5:7 · Jesus' earthly life included loud cries and tears.
8. Believers commanded to rejoice (c. AD 50) · 1 Thessalonians 5:16 · Shortest verse in the Greek New Testament.
9. God promises to wipe away tears (c. AD 95) · Revelation 21:4 · Ultimate comfort and end of sorrow for the redeemed.

Sorrow and Tears in Scripture

Jesus' Compassion and Sorrow

Key words

wept

To shed tears, expressing sorrow, grief, or deep emotion. · John 11:35

sorrows

A state of deep distress, sadness, or grief. · Isaiah 53:3

grief

Deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone's death. · Isaiah 53:3

troubled

Mentally or emotionally agitated or distressed. · John 11:33

sympathize

To understand and share the feelings of another. · Hebrews 4:15