A.T. Robertson Commentary John 12:9

"The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there: and they came, not for Jesus` sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead." — John 12:9 (ASV)

The common people (ο οχλος πολυς). This is the right reading with the article ο, 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 ο ανηρ αγαθος. Westcott suggests that οχλος πολυς came to be regarded as a compound noun. This is the usual order in the N.T. rather than πολυς οχλος (Robertson, Grammar, p. 774). Mark has ο πολυς οχλος. Moulton (Proleg., p. 84) terms ο οχλος πολυς here and in verse 12 "a curious misplacement of the article." John's use of οχλος is usually the common crowd as "riff-raff."

That he was (οτ εστιν). Present active indicative retained in indirect discourse after the secondary tense (εγνω, second aorist active indicative of γινωσκω). 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 (αλλ' ινα κα τον Λαζαρον ιδωσιν). Purpose clause with ινα and second aorist active subjunctive of οραω. 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.