Who was Martha in the Bible?
Lived in the New Testament era
Martha was a woman from Bethany who, along with her siblings Mary and Lazarus, was a close friend of Jesus. When Jesus visited their home, Martha welcomed Him and busied herself with serving, while her sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to His teachings. Martha appears in 11 verses across 2 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Martha?
Martha was a woman from Bethany who, along with her siblings Mary and Lazarus, was a close friend of Jesus. When Jesus visited their home, Martha welcomed Him and busied herself with serving, while her sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to His teachings. Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her, but Jesus gently reminded her that Mary had chosen the better part by focusing on His words (Luk.10.38-42). Later, when Lazarus fell ill and died, Martha went out to meet Jesus and expressed her faith in Him, saying that if He had been there, her brother would not have died. Jesus reassured her that Lazarus would rise again and proclaimed Himself as the resurrection and the life (Jhn.11.1-44). After Lazarus was raised from the dead, Martha served a meal for Jesus and His disciples, demonstrating her love and gratitude (Jhn.12.2).
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Martha appear in the Bible?
Martha is referenced in 11 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- John 11:5
- John 11:19
- John 11:20
- John 11:21
- John 11:24
- John 11:30
- John 11:39
- John 12:2
- Luke 10:38
- Luke 10:40
- Luke 10:41
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Martha.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Martha?
Martha appears in 11 verses across 2 books, most often in John, which accounts for 8 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Martha?
John, Luke.
Where can I read every verse about Martha?
This page lists 11 of them. Protos carries all 11, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
