What Is the Shortest Verse in the Bible?

The shortest verse in the Christian Bible is from the Gospel According to John in the New Testament. In the New Revised Standard Version, John 11:35 reads simply, “Jesus began to weep.” Other versions are even shorter, with the King James Version and the New International Version stating, “Jesus wept.”

The verse takes place within the context of the death of Lazarus, the beloved brother of Mary and Martha. Jesus hears of Lazarus’s illness but is not there when his friend dies. He arrives in Bethany to find Mary and Martha in a deep state of mourning and that Lazarus has been entombed for four days. He tells Martha that Lazarus will rise again, and she acknowledges him as the Messiah, the Son of God. Then Mary and the mourners approach, weeping, and Jesus is deeply moved and joins them in their tears. According to the account, Jesus is finally led to the tomb—thick with the scent of decay—where he commands Lazarus to come out. And the dead man, wrapped in funeral linens, is miraculously resurrected.