{The common people} (ho ochlos polus). This is the right
reading with the article ho, literally, "the people much or in
large numbers." One is reminded of the French idiom. Gildersleeve
(_Syntax_, p. 284) gives a few rare examples of the idiom ho
an(8872) agathos. Westcott suggests that ochlos polus came to be
regarded as a compound noun. This is the usual order in the N.T.
rather than polus ochlos (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 774). Mark
( Mr 12:37 ) has ho polus ochlos. Moulton (_Proleg_., p. 84)
terms ho ochlos polus here and in verse  12  "a curious
misplacement of the article." John's use of ochlos is usually
the common crowd as "riff-raff." {That he was} (hoti estin).
Present active indicative retained in indirect discourse after
the secondary tense (egn(935c), second aorist active indicative of
gin(9373)k(935c)). These "Jews" are not all hostile to Jesus as in
 5:10  6:41 , etc., but included some who were friendly (verse
 11 ). {But that they might see Lazarus also} (all' hina kai ton
Lazaron id(9373)in). Purpose clause with hina and second aorist
active subjunctive of hora(935c). Motive enough to gather a great
crowd, to see one raised from the dead (cf. verse  1  for the
same phrase, "whom he had raised from the dead"). Some of the
very witnesses of the raising of Lazarus will bear witness later
(verse  17 ). It was a tense situation.