John 11:17-19 - Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days

11:17

Jesus eventually arrives in Bethany, by which time Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. The significance of four days is that there was a rabbinic belief that the soul of the departed would hover over the body for three days. So if Jesus had raised Lazarus within three days some could have argued that his soul had merely re entered the body. So the four days ensured that this could only be interpreted as a resurrection.

11:18,19

Bethany was about 2 miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to mourn with Mary and Martha. “Jews” here could be used in the context of just meaning normal Jewish people, but in that case it is a rather strange way of expressing it. Why say “Jews”? It may have been that a number of religious figures had come, and the implication is that the family was well known. This also heightens the risk that Jesus was taking.