How "shortest" is measured
Using the verse divisions and text in BibleAV’s King James Version, John 11:35 is the shortest verse by both word count (two words) and letter count (nine letters). The only other two-word verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16, "Rejoice evermore," which contains fifteen letters.
If letters alone are counted regardless of word count, a few three-word genealogy verses come close: 1 Chronicles 1:25 ("Eber, Peleg, Reu,") has just twelve letters, and 1 Chronicles 1:1 ("Adam, Sheth, Enosh,") has fourteen. Verse divisions are a later addition to the text, and different translations divide or render verses differently, so results vary outside the KJV.
Why "Jesus wept" says so much
The two words fall within the account of Lazarus’s death in John 11. Jesus arrived at Bethany after Lazarus had lain in the grave four days, saw Mary and the mourners weeping, and "groaned in the spirit, and was troubled." Then the shortest verse records his own response: he wept.
The verse is followed by the observation of the bystanders: "Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!" (John 11:36). Though he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, Jesus first shared the sorrow of those who grieved — the brevity of the verse gives that compassion its full weight.
The shortest verse in the Old Testament
The shortest Old Testament verses are the three-word genealogy entries of 1 Chronicles 1, listing names such as "Adam, Sheth, Enosh," and "Eber, Peleg, Reu." The shortest Old Testament verse that forms a complete sentence is longer; the genealogies hold the record on raw length.